3-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders stole the spotlight in Abu Dhabi, entering the auction with the biggest purse and a clear plan to dominate. They didn't hold back, breaking the bank to sign Australian all-rounder Cameron Green for a record-shattering ₹25.20 crore. This massive bid makes him the most expensive overseas player in IPL auction history. KKR didn't stop there; they also splashed ₹18 crore on Sri Lankan pace sensation Matheesha Pathirana, showing they were willing to pay whatever it took to secure match-winners for their bowling attack.
Also Read: IPL 2026 CSK squad: Full Chennai Super Kings players list after mini auction
Away from the headline-grabbing bids, KKR made some shrewd moves to add depth and balance to their squad. They picked up experienced pacer Mustafizur Rahman for ₹9.20 crore and grabbed explosive Kiwi opener Finn Allen and all-rounder Rachin Ravindra for a steal at ₹2 crore each. With old favourite Rahul Tripathi returning for just ₹75 lakh and smart budget buys like Tim Seifert, the franchise has built a formidable team ready to challenge for the title again.
KKR Squad for IPL 2026
Retained: Ajinkya Rahane, Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Varun Chakravarthy.
Bought at Auction: Cameron Green (₹25.20 crore), Matheesha Pathirana (₹18.00 crore), Mustafizur Rahman (₹9.20 crore), Tejasvi Dahiya (₹3.00 crore), Finn Allen (₹2.00 crore), Rachin Ravindra (₹2.00 crore), Tim Seifert (₹1.50 crore), Akash Deep (₹1.00 crore), Rahul Tripathi (₹75 lakh), Kartik Tyagi (₹30 lakh), Prashant Solanki (₹30 lakh), Daksh Kamra (₹30 lakh), Sarthak Ranjan (₹30 lakh).
Purse Remaining: ₹45 Lakh Slots Remaining: 0
