Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have almost finalised their retention list ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.
KKR to release Shreyas Iyer?
Key players like Andre Russell, Rinku Singh and Sunil Narine are expected to remain with the Kolkata-based franchise. However, in a surprising move, the defending champions seemed to part ways with their captain Shreyas Iyer, despite his last season’s success in leading the Knight Riders to the title triumph.
Before the cut off date for the IPL 2025 retentions, ie. October 31, all the ten franchises are under immense pressure to lock in their match winners. Teams are allowed to retain a maximum of six playing, including the Right to Match (RTM) card option, pushing them to make strategic choices in balancing their budgets.
KKR to retain Rinku Singh ahead of Shreyas
While KKR would ideally like to maintain their winning lineup, the 2025 auction rules compel management to make difficult calls. Despite his captaincy role, Shreyas’s future with the team appears uncertain.
Also READ: 3 teams who can target Sarfaraz Khan in the IPL 2025 auction
According to RevSportz, KKR are set to prioritize players like Rinku, Russell, Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana and Ramandeep Singh ahead of Shreyas. Harshit and Ramandeep can be picked as uncapped players at INR 4 crore each, saving a considerable amount of money for the franchise.
Russell, Narine, Rinku, Varun, Harshit, Raman. KKR. Not done but likely.
— Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) October 22, 2024
During the BCCI owners’ meeting in July, KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan advocated for a system that focuses solely on RTMs rather than full retentions, aiming to preserve teams’ financial flexibility. KKR’s management, led by CEO Venky Mysore, is now carefully considering their strategy around who to retain outright and who to secure via RTM. Known for his adept player management skills, Mysore is exploring all options to maintain KKR’s core, balancing financial constraints with player performance and fan expectations.
