IPL 2026 auction A high-priced mini-auction was held in Abu Dhabi on December 16 where the franchise spent over ₹215 crore on 77 players from a pool of 369 players. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)Armed with the biggest purse of ₹ 64.3 crore after bold pre-auction releases, he dominated the proceedings by securing the two most expensive buys: Australian all-rounder Cameron Green a record of ₹ 25.20 crore and for the Sri Lankan slinger Matheesha Pathirana For ₹ 18 crore. At a total of ₹124.55 crore on 25 players (8 overseas), this aggressive outlay left just ₹0.45 crore, signaling KKR’s intent to revive its disappointing IPL 2025 title defence.
Kolkata Knight Riders’ strategic big money signings in IPL 2026 Auction
It entered the auction, taking out high-profile names like KKR Andre Russell (previously ₹ 12 crore), Venkatesh Iyer (₹23.75 crore) and Quinton de Kock To maximize flexibility while maintaining a core of 12 players around ₹ 39.35 crore. Their main targets were explosive batting depth, lethal bowling firepower and all-round balance. Chennai Super Kings Green, who brings middle-order muscle and seam options, and Pathirana, who can terrorize finishers with wayward yorkers, are in tight battles. Mustafizur Rahman (₹9.20 crore) while it adds the left-arm range Find Allen (₹2 crore) and Racine Ravindra (₹2 crore) provides aggressive top-line options that complement the finishers kept Rinku Singh.
This revamp addresses KKR’s weaknesses for 2025: over-reliance on aging stars and batting collapse. Green, fresh Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers BengaluruWith an average of 44.50 in T20Is, a strike rate of close to 145 at the Eden Gardens, he offers seam-busting prowess. Pathirana’s 18 crore investment is paying dividends with an IPL record 42 wickets at the death at an economy of 7.25. Like mid-range options Tejaswi Dahiya (₹3 crore) and Tim Seifert (₹ 1.50 crore) and reinforces fulfilling non-binding promises and options Harshit Rana (kept at ₹4 crore) is strengthening the domestic pace. Filled KKR’s overseas quota with Powell (₹1.50 crore) to use the power. Sunil Narine For spin wizardry (₹12 crore retained).
Also READ: IPL 2026 Auction: Complete list of sold players with prices
KKR Players Salaries in IPL 2026
KKR’s squad combines youth and versatility with auction gambles as a priority. Abhishek Nayarhigh intensity style. Here’s the full breakdown:
| S.No. | Player | Selling Price (₹) |
| 1 | Cameron Green | 25 million 20 million |
| 2 | Matheesha Pathirana | 18 million |
| 3 | Rinku Singh | 13 million |
| 4 | Sunil Narine | 12 million |
| 5 | Varun Chakraborty | 12 million |
| 6 | Mustafizur Rahman | 9 million 20 million |
| 7 | Harshit Rana | 4 million |
| 8 | Ramandeep Singh | 4 million |
| 9 | Tejaswi Dahiya | 3 million |
| 10 | Angkrish Raghuvanshi | 3 million |
| 11 | Racine Ravindra | 2 crores |
| 12 | Find Allen | 2 crores |
| 13 | Vaibhav Arora | 1 cries 80 lakes |
| 14 | Rovman Powell | 1 cry 50 lakes |
| 15 | Tim Seifert | 1 cry 50 lakes |
| 16 | Ajinkya Rahane | 1 cry 50 lakes |
| 17 | Akash Deep | 1 million |
| 18 | Rahul Tripathi | 75 thousand |
| 19 | Manish Pandey | 75 thousand |
| 20 | Umran Malik | 75 thousand |
| 21 | Anukul Roy | 40 thousand |
| 22 | Sarthak Ranjan | 30 thousand |
| 23 | Daksh Kamra | 30 thousand |
| 24 | Prashant Solanki | 30 thousand |
| 25 | Karthik Tyagi | 30 thousand |
Also READ: IPL 2026 Auction: Complete list of unsold players with base price
