Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have made a major announcement ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction. The team is set to completely drop their captain Ajinkya Rahane and vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer.
IPL 2026: Rahane and Venkatesh Out, Rinku In
KKR won the IPL in 2024 under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer, but finished eighth in 2025. Shreyas, Mitchell Starc, and Phil Salt were not retained, which dealt a blow to the team.
Rahane has now been appointed captain and Venkatesh vice-captain, who was bought for ₹23.75 crore (23.75 crore).
But now the team will retain Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Vaibhav Arora, and Varun Chakravarthy. Venkatesh managed just 142 runs in 2025, averaging 20.28.
Venkatesh Iyer is too expensive
Former Australian captain Aaron Finch has said that this much money is too much for Venkatesh.
He provided the full statement on JioStar: “Venkatesh Iyer for 23.75 crores is a lot of money for a player who has been used purely as a middle-order batter without utilizing his bowling.
While Venkatesh Iyer has been a match-winner for KKR, was their top scorer in 2021, and helped them lift the trophy in 2024, his inconsistent role and high price tag don’t match.
KKR should consider releasing him to free up funds and possibly buy him back at a more reasonable price suited to his current role.”
Another RevSportz reporter reported that KKR will target Australian all-rounder Cameron Green in the auction. The auction will take place in Abu Dhabi in December, likely on the 15th or 16th.
The India Today report states: “The IPL Governing Council is currently finalizing the logistics and an official confirmation is expected in the coming days.”
And further: “Sources told India Today that the formal announcement of the venue and dates for the IPL 2026 auction is expected soon.”
This is the third time the IPL auction is being held outside India, having previously been held in Dubai and Jeddah. KKR will raise funds to form a new team.
