 "KKR IPL Retention: Knight Riders focus on retaining core group, will aim to buy back many released players")
October 31st, 2024 was the deadline for all 10 Indian Premier League (IPL) teams to submit their retained players’ list ahead of the mega IPL 2025 auction, reportedly scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 24 and 25 November. For the first time in the history of this cash-rich cricket extravaganza, the governing council has allowed franchises to retain up to six players — of which a maximum of five can be capped internationals, and two can be uncapped players.
As It Happened | IPL Retention: 10 teams announce their list of of retained and released players
Which players have KKR retained?
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) decided to fill up all of their available slots while announcing their retention list, which are as follows:
Rinku Singh (capped) – Rs 13 crore
Varun Chakravarthy (capped) – Rs 12 crore
Sunil Narine (capped, overseas) – Rs 12 crore
Andre Russell (capped, overseas) – Rs 12 crore
Harshit Rana (uncapped) – Rs 4 crore
Ramandeep Singh (uncapped) – Rs 4 crore
Purse remaining: Rs 51 crore.
Thought process behind KKR’s retentions
As expected, KKR have focused on retaining their core group of players. Narine, Russell, Rinku, and Varun have been crucial to this franchises’ recent success. Retained for INR 6 crore in 2022, Narine was awarded “Most Valuable Player” in 2024, showcasing explosive batting at the top and taking 17 wickets with an economy of 6.69.
Read | IPL Retention: SRH's Klaasen, RCB's Kohli among top retentions; Rahul, Iyer and Pant released
Russell continues to be KKR’s impact player with a strike rate of 174.92 and 115 wickets to his name. Varun, retained in 2022 for INR 8 crore, has secured 41 wickets over the last two seasons with an economy of 8.09.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsHere are your retained Knights 💜
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) October 31, 2024
Next Stop: #TATAIPLAuction 💰🔨 pic.twitter.com/fvr1kwWoYn
Rinku’s exceptional form earned him a spot on India’s T20I team, where he has maintained a striking rate of 207.97 since 2022. Promising pacer Rana, who has received multiple India call-ups, is seen as a long-term asset for KKR, as is Ramandeep, a potential Indian power-hitter for the squad.
Surprise exclusions: Shreyas Iyer
The non-retention of Shreyas Iyer, who led KKR to their 2024 IPL title and scored 351 runs at a strike rate of nearly 147 raised a few eyebrows. With many teams in need of an Indian captain, KKR may have to spend a significant chunk of their budget to buy him back in the auction.
Additionally, on expected lines, KKR have released Aussie fast bowler Mitchell Starc, who was signed for a record-breaking INR 24.75 crore last season. Starc failed to live up to expectations and lacked the impact KKR needed throughout IPL 2024 even if he did deliver towards the end of their title-winning run, leading to the decision not to retain him.
Possible auction strategy
In previous auctions, KKR has employed a focused strategy, targeting specific players rather than building a large squad or chasing big names. They are likely to follow a similar approach in Riyadh, with Venky Mysore and his team expected to rely heavily on their pre-auction analysis and preparation.
With an available budget of INR 51 crore, KKR will likely aim to buy back many of their released players, with a particular focus on acquiring a potential Indian captain. However, they won’t have the luxury of using a Right to Match (RTM) card for someone like Shreyas, as they have already retained the maximum of six players.
A key area of focus in this auction will be securing a quality Indian wicketkeeper-batter. While high-profile players like Rishabh Pant, Quinton de Kock, and Ishan Kishan may be beyond their financial reach, KKR could target more affordable options such as Jitesh Sharma, Sameer Rizvi, or Wriddhiman Saha.
Additionally, they will need one or two overseas all-rounders to provide cover for 36-year-old Russell; candidates like Daryl Mitchell, Azmatullah Omarzai or Cameron Green may come into play. Though the focus will be on Indian options primarily.
In terms of bowling, KKR will aim to retain several uncapped players from their academy while also pursuing one or two overseas stars, such as Trent Boult or Gerald Coetzee.
Players KKR are likely to target in the auction
All-rounders: Venkatesh Iyer, Azmatullah Omarzai, Cameron Green, Daryl Mitchell
Wicketkeeper: Phil Salt, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sameer Rizvi, Shai Hope, Jitesh Sharma
Batters: Shreyas Iyer, Ramandeep Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Nitish Rana, Jason Roy
Bowlers: Mitchell Starc, Trent Boult, William O’Rourke, Gerald Coetzee, Josh Little, Sakib Hussain, Vaibhav Arora, Suyash Sharma
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