Kolkata Knight Riders are determined not to have an encore of their strategic failure during the mega auction last year, which was largely responsible for their appalling IPL 2025 campaign.
They struggled to compensate for releasing players of the calibre of Mitchell Starc and Phil Salt and it showed in their performance. New head coach Abhishek Nayar will have his plans in place in consultation with a new-look support staff, which comprises Shane Watson and Tim Southee.
The three-time champions go into Tuesday’s mini auction in Abu Dhabi with the highest purse of ₹64.30 and the freedom to mould a squad tailored to suit their needs. They have 13 slots to fill, including six overseas players.
The mini auctions have always thrown up surprises, mainly because of the limited number of star or talented players available. The dynamics are different leading to a clash of interest between the franchises, which give rise to bidding wars.
KKR had bought Mitchell Starc for a then-record ₹24.75 crore in 2024. The left-arm fast bowler showed his class in the IPL playoffs that season as they went on to clinch their third title.
It wouldn’t come as a surprise if the Knights decide to go all out for Cameron Green this time. He could be the ideal replacement for Andre Russell in the long run and KKR wouldn’t like to miss this opportunity.
The Australian all-rounder has confirmed that he will bowl in IPL 2026, which could lead to a price war with several other franchises, including Chennai Super Kings, who have the second-highest purse available at Rs 43.40 crore, keen to bid for him.
Whether Green can break the ₹27 crore benchmark set by Rishabh Pant last year will be of huge interest. Given his all-round competence, Green brings “lifetime value”, as termed by Mumbai Indians owner Akash Ambani, to a franchise.
The all-rounder’s versatility allows him to bat at any position, including opening the innings. In his first season in IPL, Green scored 452 runs at a strike rate of 160.28 for Mumbai Indians in 2023, which included a century and two fifties.
Green missed last season because of injury and is listed in the first set at a base price of Rs 2 crore. Devon Conway, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sarfaraz Khan, David Miller and Prithvi Shaw are the others in that set.
KKR’s shopping spree will depend a lot on their opening combination. Will they stick to Sunil Narine and Ajinkya Rahane? Or will they look to again rope in Quinton de Kock, who has been reinstated in the auction at the recommendation of a franchise? Besides his batting, De Kock also provides teams with the option of a wicketkeeper.
KKR may not want to miss this opportunity, considering that they let go all three keepers from their 2025 roster. Since 2022, they have used eight different keepers and in an ideal world, they would finally want to pin down on that crucial position.
The franchise will also have their eyes pinned on Tim Seifert, an explosive top-order keeper-batter from New Zealand and England’s Jamie Smith. Quinton’s current form could sway his fortunes, but Seifert and Smith’s credentials cannot be squashed in a hurry.
Uncapped Indians Salil Arora and Kartik Sharma could also be among the Knights’ targets.
KKR will target an overseas pacer having released Anrich Nortje and Spencer Johnson, and Sri Lankan Matheesha Pathirana could be their preferred choice. A slinger who can bowl at 150kmph yorkers with accuracy, Pathirana could also attract huge interest if his former franchise CSK wishes to win him back.
Pathirana’s economy is second only to Jasprit Bumrah’s, since 2022, among pacers with more than 20 wickets in overs 11-20.
Another point of interest will be over Venkatesh Iyer, who was released by KKR after having bought him for ₹23.75crore at the mega auction last season. He failed to perform up to expectations in IPL 2025, but KKR could win him back at a lower price this time. He provides stability to the top-order and is also conversant with their set-up, having worked with Nayar in the past.
New Zealand’s Matt Henry could also invite much interest at the auction. He could come in handy if he remains injury-free.
The mini auction is sure to attract huge interest across the globe, with Green already stating that he will remain awake in Adelaide to watch the action unfold in Abu Dhabi.
Australia’s assistant coach Daniel Vettori, who is also Sunrisers Hyderabad’s head coach, was at training on Sunday but will be at the franchise table in Abu Dhabi. Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer will also be in attendance in the absence of Ricky Ponting.
