KKR's Probable Release And Retention List Before IPL 2027 Auction

Mayank

KKR finished 7th in IPL 2026 standings [Source: AFP]

The Kolkata Knight Riders are once again expected to be one of the busiest teams in the IPL 2027 auction, after failing to reach the playoffs in consecutive years. The last season saw the Knight Riders getting exposed in multiple areas, while they were also riddled with injuries.

Captain Ajinkya Rahane has retired, leaving a big hole in the leadership group. Apart from that, the bowling department will also need some revamp. November 17 is the deadline to announce the retentions and releases ahead of the IPL 2027 mini-auctions, where KKR could accumulate a lot of money with their releases.

Here's a look at the players who could be released from the KKR squad for the IPL 2027 auction.

KKR's Current IPL Squad

Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Rahul Tripathi, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Sarthak Ranjan, Anukul Roy, Cameron Green ✈️, Daksh Kamra, Rachin Ravindra ✈️, Rovman Powell ✈️, Sunil Narine ✈️, Finn Allen (wk) ✈️, Luvnith Sisodia (wk), Tejasvi Dahiya (wk), Tim Seifert (wk) ✈️, Blessing Muzarabani ✈️, Kartik Tyagi, Navdeep Saini, Prashant Solanki, Saurabh Dubey, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Matheesha Pathirana ✈️.

*List includes IPL 2026 replacements/withdrawals

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KKR's Possible Release List Before IPL 2027

1. Ajinkya Rahane - INR 1.50 crore

Ajinkya Rahane spent two years in his second stint at KKR, while also captaining them. However, after failing to make it to the playoffs, he retired after the end of the IPL 2026. As a result, Rahane won't be available for an IPL retention.
Rahane's INR 1.50 crore freed up will help the team in the rebuild.

2. Matheesha Pathirana - INR 18 crore

At 23, Matheesha Pathirana still has the potential to provide a lot in the coming years. However, despite being bought for a whopping INR 18 crore in the last auction, the player missed almost the entire season.
Pathirana could only bowl 8 balls in the entire season, and his 18 crore could fix several issues in the squad.
The likes of Sonny Baker and Josh Tongue could be available in the auction, and they are players KKR can target to boost their pace department.

3. Rachin Ravindra - INR 2 crore

Rachin Ravindra was KKR's unused overseas player in IPL 2026 and has not played much T20 cricket since.
Although, as an allrounder, Ravindra contributes across facets, his T20 batting is still evolving and is unlikely to get a nod over his fellow New Zealand teammates Finn Allen or Tim Seifert to open the batting.
KKR can use a part of their purse to invest in a player like Shai Hope, who is also a leadership candidate. Hope had an impressive tour of India, making him a candidate to join KKR.

4. Navdeep Saini - INR 75 lakh

Navdeep Saini joined KKR as a replacement player for the injured Harshit Rana in IPL 2026. Rana will return to the team this season, making Saini surplus to requirements.
In two matches played, the 33-year-old bowler conceded at 12.33 runs per over and went wicketless in IPL 2026.
KKR have other Indian options, who are younger and evidently ahead in the pecking order, so the 75 lakh can be used elsewhere.

5. Rahul Tripathi - INR 75 lakh

Rahul Tripathi returned to the Knight Riders in IPL 2026 at the base price of INR 75 lakh after an underwhelming year with the Chennai Super Kings.
At 35, Tripathi is well past his prime, with no matches played in IPL 2026 and striking at only 96.49 in 5 matches of IPL 2025.
To free up space in the squad, one of the players who is not in the core group is likely to be let go, and Tripathi could be an option.

Adding to the exisiting INR 45 lakh purse, the above releases would accumulate INR 23.45 crore to fill the gaps in the bowling lineup, an overseas batter and potentially a captaincy candidate. Others who could be on the fringes would be the likes of Umran Malik and even Rovman Powell, if they want to target Ollie Peake from a future standpoint.

KKR's Possible Retention List Before IPL 2027

Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Sarthak Ranjan, Anukul Roy, Cameron Green ✈️, Daksh Kamra, Rovman Powell ✈️, Sunil Narine ✈️, Finn Allen (wk) ✈️, Luvnith Sisodia (wk), Tejasvi Dahiya (wk), Tim Seifert (wk) ✈️, Blessing Muzarabani ✈️, Kartik Tyagi, Prashant Solanki, Saurabh Dubey, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana.