Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are all set to release their captain, Ajinkya Rahane, and vice-captain, Venkatesh Iyer, ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini auction.
This comes as a massive development because the release of Ajinkya Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer will mean that the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will have to look for a new pair of leaders.
Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer OUT, Rinku Singh IN
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, but had a horrible campaign in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 as they finished in eighth place on the points table.
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KKR retained their core from the IPL 2024 triumph, but were unable to retain skipper Shreyas Iyer, pacer Mitchell Starc, and opener Phil Salt. And the absence of these players hurt the team really badly in IPL 2025.
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) appointed Ajinkya Rahane as skipper after Shreyas Iyer’s exit and gave vice-captaincy to Venkatesh Iyer, who was bought for INR 23.75 crore.
Meanwhile, now a RevSportz journalist has reported that KKR will part ways with Ajinkya Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer while retaining the services of Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Vaibhav Arora, and Varun Chakravarthy.
Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy ✅✅
Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer ❌❌
— Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) November 11, 2025
Also, another RevSportz journalist has claimed that the three-time champions will go hard after the Australia all-rounder Cameron Green at the IPL 2026 auction.
Cam Green in KKR’s priority list – ek ballebaaz cahiye jo tez gati se gendbazi kar skta ho.
— Rohit Juglan (@rohitjuglan) November 11, 2025
KKR paying 23.75 crore is too high for a player like Venkatesh Iyer – Aaron Finch
The Australian World Cup-winning skipper, Aaron Finch, recently shared his views on Venkatesh Iyer, saying that he has not been consistent and should be released. Speaking on JioStar, Finch said:
“Paying 23.75 crore is too high for a player like Venkatesh Iyer, who has been used out of position as a middle-order batter without utilising his bowling. While Venkatesh Iyer has been a match-winner for KKR, being their top scorer in 2021 and helping them lift the trophy in 2024, his inconsistent role and high price tag don’t align. KKR should consider releasing him to free up funds and potentially buy him back at a more reasonable price that matches his current role in the team.”
Notably, Venkatesh Iyer looked miserable in the Indian Premier League 2025 and scored just 142 runs at an average of 20.28.
IPL Auction to be held in December
The Indian Premier League 2026 mini auction is scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi in mid-December. As per a report in India Today, the auction could be held on December 15 or 16.
“The IPL governing council is currently finalising the logistics, and an official confirmation is expected in the coming days,” the report read. “Sources told India Today that a formal announcement confirming the venue and exact dates of the IPL 2026 auction is expected soon,” it added.
It will be the third time on the trot that the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction will be held outside India, as the last two editions were held in Dubai and Jeddah.
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