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Kolkata Knight Riders released Venkatesh Iyer and Rahmanullah Gurbaz ahead of IPL 2026 Auction, aiming for fresh buys and targeting an opener and power hitter.
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Saba Karim
Three-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are set to approach the IPL 2026 Auction with a renewed strategy under their newly-appointed head coach, Abhishek Nayar. Nayar has made a series of daring decisions to release a significant slice of their budget. Speaking on JioStar, former India cricketer Saba Karim discussed KKR’s strategic release list, including the high-profile decision to release Venkatesh Iyer, who was bought for Rs 23.75 crore within the last auction.
Analysing the move, JioStar expert Karim said, “There may be a powerful possibility that KKR may buy him back. He was released at 23 crores, which freed up an enormous amount of their budget, and chances are high high that he may not go for that much money now within the mini-auction. It is a classic Abhishek Nayar move because he at all times wants to begin fresh.”
“He only keeps players he believes are a part of a winning combination and will likely be regulars within the playing eleven. The remainder, he buys back within the auction. I believe he’ll construct his team that way. I’ve at all times seen Abhishek Nayar work like this. So I feel the KKR management believes that perhaps Venkatesh Iyer has exhausted his utility, much like how they valued Andre Russell for years,” he added.
With KKR opting to not retain Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Karim highlighted the franchise’s clear targets for the auction.
“They didn’t retain Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Meaning they need a gap batter. If that player may also be a wicketkeeper, it can be useful for KKR. They’ll have many options within the auction. Additionally they need an explosive power hitter for the lower middle order. I believe filling these two spots will likely be crucial thing for KKR within the upcoming auction,” he added.
In 2021, Venkatesh made a major impact by scoring 370 runs in ten games during his debut season, helping KKR reach the ultimate, although they lost to Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Of their title-winning 12 months in 2024, the southpaw again scored 370 runs. Nevertheless, things were difficult in 2025 as he managed only 142 runs in 11 games, with one fifty, at a mean of 20.28.
(With ANI Inputs)
Click here so as to add News18 as your selected news source on Google. December 09, 2025, 22:33 IST
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