List of KKR retained and released players ahead of IPL 2026 auction

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List of KKR retained and released players ahead of IPL 2026 auction: Three-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have announced their squad for IPL 2026. The team aims to make a strong comeback after a disappointing 2025 season, and has made some bold and significant changes.

Big decision: Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer released

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With the retention window closing, KKR management has made some surprising and significant decisions. The team has released two of its key experienced players:

• Andre Russell released: The team released him due to his poor performance and high fee (a retention slot of ₹12 crore).
• Venkatesh Iyer released: Star all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, who was valued at ₹23.75 crore, has also been released.

These two releases will set KKR back a significant amount in their auction purse.

KKR's core group intact

KKR has retained some of its reliable and performing players who are crucial to the team's future, including finisher Rinku Singh and veteran Sunil Narine.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) 2026 retained players List

Player	Role	Price
Ajinkya Rahane	Batsman	1.5 crores
Rinku Singh	Batsman	13 crores
Angkrish Raghuvanshi	Batsman	3 crores
Harshit Rana	All-rounder	4 crores
Varun Chakravarthy	Bowler	12 crores
Ramandeep Singh	Batsman	4 crores
Manish Pandey	Batsman	75 lakhs
Sunil Narine	All-rounder	12 crores
Anukul Roy	All-rounder	40 lakhs
Vaibhav Arora	Bowler	1.80 crore
Umran Malik	Bowler	75 lakh
Rovman Powell	Batsman	1.5 crore

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Also Read: SRH IPL 2026: Full List of Retained, Released, and Traded Players

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) 2026 Released Players List

Player	Role	Price
Venkatesh Iyer	All-rounder	23.75 crores
Moeen Ali	All-rounder	2 crores
Mayank Markande	Bowler	30 lakhs
Andre Russell	All-rounder	12 crores
Quinton de Kock	Wicketkeeper-batsman	3.6 crores
Lavneet Sisodia	Wicketkeeper-Batsman	30 lakhs
Spencer Johnson	Bowler	2.8 crores
Anrique Nortje	Bowler	6.5 crores
Chetan Sakaria	Bowler	50 lakhs
Rahmanullah Gurbaz	Wicketkeeper-Batsman	2 crores

Also Read: MI retained and released players ahead of IPL 2026 auction: The Official List

Kolkata Knight Riders 2026 Traded Players List

Player	Role	Trade (from where)	Trade (to where)	Price
Mayank Markande	Bowler	Kolkata Knight Riders	Mumbai Indians	30 Lakhs

KKR's 2026 Remaining Purse: Largest Amount

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As a result of these bold and bold decisions, Kolkata Knight Riders will now enter the IPL 2026 mini-auction with the largest purse. This massive purse gives KKR complete freedom to target any big player in the auction. Remaining purse for auction: ₹64.3 crore

Also Read: CSK IPL 2026: Full List of Retained, Released, and Traded Players