Former Indian cricketer Kris Srikkanth has expressed his opinion regarding the IPL 2026 retentions. He believes that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer is not a tradeable asset, as his performances over the last two seasons were not up to mark, and other teams would want to buy him at a lower price rather than his current value. The three-time IPL champions bought Iyer for INR 23.75 crore in the IPL 2025 auction. However, he managed an average of 20.28 across 11 matches this season. “He’s not a tradeable asset; he’ll be released. No team will trade for him or try to buy him directly. In the auction, he can be picked up easily for around ₹3 crore. Over the last two years, he hasn’t performed well. Apart from the semi-final and final, he hardly scored runs in the IPL. When he joined KKR, he was an explosive opener, and that’s still his best position,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel. He also advised the Mumbai Indians (MI) to part ways with pacer Deepak Chahar, who was bought for ₹9.25 crore but had a forgettable 2025 season, taking just 11 wickets at an economy of 9.17. “MI should definitely release Deepak Chahar. He can’t run or field properly and often walks off injured. Why would I keep him in the squad? MI’s team is already well balanced,” Srikkanth remarked. Discussing Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Heinrich Klaasen, the former Indian opener questioned the logic of releasing the South African wicketkeeper-batter, who was bought for ₹23 crore at the IPL 2025 auction. Despite averaging over 44, Klaasen struggled for consistency last season. “Why would you release Heinrich Klaasen? The season before, he was outstanding. Last year, SRH tinkered too much with his batting position, sometimes batting him at No. 5 or as a finisher after 16 overs. He should bat at No. 3 from the third over itself. You don’t even need to instruct him much; he’s still keeping superbly. If SRH release him, it’ll be tough to get him back. It depends on which teams have the space to buy him,” Srikkanth added.