List of all players KKR could retain & release ahead of IPL 2027
(Courtesy : KKR)
Kolkata Knight Riders will aim to win their fourth IPL title in IPL 2027.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had a tremendous 2024 edition. They won their third IPL title in that season, under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer. However, the surprising decision to release their captain, Iyer, in 2025 did not work out for KKR.
Under Ajinkya Rahane, KKR failed to qualify for the playoffs, finishing 8th and 7th in the last two seasons. Rahane has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket and will not be available to play.
Hence, KKR will need to find a new captain heading into IPL 2027. Not just the captain; the Knight Riders were also inconsistent with the ball. Their bowling was horrible last season, and the injuries also hurt them a lot in 2026. Therefore, they will need to focus on all these areas in the upcoming auction.
The upcoming IPL 2027 auction will be held in Goa on December 16. Before that, let’s take a look at the players Kolkata could retain and release ahead of the auction.
KKR need a new captain for the IPL 2027
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Ajinkya Rahane will be released, as he has retired. Apart from Rahane, a few other big names could also be released. Cameron Green, who was bought for INR 25.20 crore, had a mixed last season.
He scored 322 runs and bagged just 7 wickets. KKR might release him and explore other all-rounder options in the IPL 2027 auction. Additionally, Matheesha Pathirana could also be released.
Kolkata bought the Sri Lankan pacer for INR 18 crore. He played only one game before sustaining an injury. If KKR release these two, they will have a good amount to explore other options at the auction.
Rachin Ravindra and Tim Seifert were underutilised last season, and they might also get released. KKR can also release Akash Deep, Rahul Tripathi, and Umran Malik ahead of the IPL 2027 auction.
Players Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) could retain ahead of IPL 2027 auction
- Rinku Singh
- Sunil Narine
- Varun Chakaravarthy
- Harshit Rana
- Ramandeep Singh
- Vaibhav Arora
- Angkrish Raghuvanshi
- Finn Allen
- Anukul Roy
- Rovman Powell
- Manish Pandey
- Kartik Tyagi
- Daksh Kamra
- Luvnith Sisodia
- Prashant Solanki
- Saurabh Dubey
Players Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) could release ahead of IPL 2027 auction
- Cameron Green
- Matheesha Pathirana
- Ajinkya Rahane (Retired)
- Rahul Tripathi
- Akash Deep
- Rachin Ravindra
- Tejasvi Dahiya
- Tim Seifert
- Sarthak Ranjan
- Umran Malik
- Navdeep Saini
- Blessing Muzarabani
Where did Kolkata Knight Riders finish in the IPL 2026?
KKR finished seventh in IPL 2026, winning six of 14 matches.
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