Kolkata Knight Riders are gearing up for a massive squad overhaul ahead of the IPL 2026 mini auctions scheduled for next month. On Saturday (November 15), with hours to go for the retention deadline to end, KKR have already made up their minds about a number of players including their massive signing Venkatesh Iyer who was bought for Rs 23.75 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Ever since he was bought at that astronomical price, the pressure was on Iyer and he ended up having a disastrous campaign in IPL 2025. The left-hander has also been in poor form for his state side Madhya Pradesh. Releasing him gives KKR a huge boost in funds while going into the mini auction in December.
Apart from Iyer, the other major impending releases from the Kolkata franchise are Quinton de Kock (Rs 3.60 crore), Anrich Nortje (Rs 6.50 crore) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Rs 2 crore). All three were major signings, especially de Kock and Nortje, but a disastrous 2025 season for KKR has forced them towards a squad revamp.
Spencer Johnson (Rs 2.80 crore), Spencer Johnson (Rs 2.80 crore) and Moeen Ali (Rs 2 crore) are the other players expected to be released by KKR. The Knight Riders are reportedly aiming to get a new leader for their franchise, while also hoping to fix several cracks that were visible in the previous IPL season.
The coaching staff has already seen a overhaul with Shane Watson joining as assistant coach and Tim Southee as bowling coach. The highlight signing in this department is obviously that of head coach Abhishek Nayar who gets a promotion after having served the franchise for many years as assistant coach.