After years of mediocre showings, Kolkata Knight Riders finally turned the tide in 2024. They were arguably the best team in the competition and romped their way to their third title with just three defeats in 14 completed matches.
However, with a limited number of retentions and a completely new support staff, following the graduation of several members into the India team, KKR are looking at a major overhaul. However, they would hope their retentions can provide some sort of continuity.
Who not to retain?
A peculiar dilemma awaits KKR. While most teams are struggling with the players to retain, KKR are up against the contrary. So, let’s break it down:
Who will be the obvious picks? It has to be Andre Russell and Sunil Narine. The loyal servants have been associated with the team for 10 and 12 years, respectively, and remain the go-to men for the side in any situation. Last year, Narine’s batting and Russell’s bowling overshadowed their primary skills, which is indicative of just how effective they can be. The order of retentions is unlikely to be a factor.
Rinku Singh, bought for INR 55 lakh in the 2022 auction, is looking at a heavy pay rise. Widely regarded as one of the best finishers in Indian cricket at the moment, Rinku’s calmness on the field and his energetic persona off it, should definitely lead to a retention. Though he was one of the few players who did not fire in this year’s IPL, he has shown off his skills previously and will be much in demand if he is let go into the auction. Buying him back with the RTM card could get tough.
What about the fourth retention? It will be between Varun Chakravarthy, who has reinvented himself and formed a lethal pair with Narine in the middle overs, and skipper Shreyas Iyer, who widely impressed with his leadership in the 2024 season. A captain who has led a team to glory deserves to be appreciated and preferring to use the RTM on him could affect his relationship with the side.
However, cricketing-wise, it would make sense to have Chakravarthy as a retention, with Iyer as the RTM option instead. The mystery spinner was sensational on his comeback in the recent Bangladesh series, troubling the batters with his variations and beating them consistently with his leg spin and googlies.
There is a possibility that KKR retain just three capped players and use two RTMs, which would then increase their purse, with the fourth retention costing INR 18 crore. Chakravarthy is unlikely to fetch the amount in the auctions, but KKR would rather guarantee the services of a crucial player than risk losing him because of the auction dynamics, with most teams likely to be on the lookout for an Indian spinner.
Shreyas, on the other hand, is unlikely to be much in demand with most teams already having a captain. He is also not a modern T20 batter, preferring to take his team before playing the shots. However, teams like Punjab Kings, notorious for bidding excessively during the auctions, would be desperate for a captain. They are also unlikely to retain many players, potentially leaving them with the maximum purse among all sides. They might bid aggressively for Shreyas and KKR would hope it does not exceed their higher limit.
KKR, thus, would have no option to either retain or use the RTM on Venkatesh Iyer and Nitish Rana, who have been important players over the years but would be hopeful of buying them back. Phil Salt, who was excellent earlier this year, will head into the auction as well.
Who is the uncapped player?
KKR have several exciting young players such as Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Ramandeep Singh, but Harshit is expected to be retained at INR 4 crore.
Despite being around the Indian team of late - he is also a travelling reserve for the New Zealand Tests - he is yet to make his debut. With teams scrambling and bidding heavily on young Indian pacers, of which there is a short supply, Harshit will be retained.
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With as many as five retentions, KKR could have the smallest cap among all teams heading into the auction, but with the core intact, they will then need to fight for their skipper and be smart in making steal buys while hoping they can get back as many players from the victorious side.
KKR: Possible player retentions for IPL 2025
| Value (in INR) | Players | |
| Capped retention 1 | 18 crore | Andre Russell |
| Capped retention 2 | 14 crore | Sunil Narine |
| Capped retention 3 | 11 crore | Varun Chakravarthy |
| Capped retention 4 | 18 crore | Rinku Singh |
| Capped retention 5 | 14 crore | - |
| Uncapped retention 1 | 4 crore | Harshit Rana |
| Uncapped retention 2 | 4 crore | - |
| RTM Card 1 | - | Shreyas Iyer |
| Total | 65 crore | |
| Auction purse left | 55 crore |
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