Complete List Of Kolkata Knight Riders Retained And Released Players Ahead Of IPL Auction

Kolkata Knight Riders recently announced their list of retained players, ahead of the 2026 IPL auction.

The three-time champions have retained a core group of players, which includes a blend of exciting young talent and experienced campaigners such as Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, and ⁠Angkrish Raghuvanshi.

The press release mentioned that due to their commitment to the team, they have found themselves to be the backbone of KKR in recent seasons.

Who Are Retained For Kolkata Knight Riders

Ahead of the 2026 IPL auction, which is set to take place in the upcoming month, KKR released the names of the players. The retained player list includes Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, ⁠Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, and Varun Chakaravarthy.

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When Will The IPL Auction Take Place

The upcoming IPL Auction will take place in Abu Dhabi on December 16, 2025.

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Released Players By KKR

The list of released players includes Andre Russel, Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, Moeen Ali, Anrich Nortje, Spencer Johnson, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

Slots Remaining

Kolkata Knight Riders are left with 13 slots, including the six overseas slots.

Purse Remaining

KKR is now left with ₹64.3 Crore.

Heading into the 2026 IPL, the team is expected to look for a revamp while keeping the core group untouched.