2026 Kolkata Knight Riders season
| 2026 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Eden Gardens, home ground of Kolkata Knight Riders | |||
| Coach | Abhishek Nayar | ||
| Captain | Ajinkya Rahane | ||
| Ground(s) | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | ||
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| 2026 Indian Premier League Teams |
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| See also |
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Note: Teams are listed per the playing order. |
The 2026 season will be the 19th season for the Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders. They will be one of the ten teams that competes in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL). The team finished in eighth place in the previous season.[1] The team will be captained by Ajinkya Rahane and coached by Abhishek Nayar.
Pre-season
The 2026 Indian Premier League will be the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), a professional Twenty20 (T20) cricket league held in India, organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).[2] The Kolkata Knight Riders had previously won the title 3 times.[3] The tournament will feature ten teams competing in 84 matches from 26 March to 31 May 2026 across venues in India.[4][5] Kolkata will play all their home matches at Eden Gardens.
Player retention
Franchises were allowed to retain any number of players from their squad,[6] including traded players while excluding players signed as temporary replacements.[7] Franchises were required to submit their retention lists before 15 November 2025.[8] Kolkata retained twelve players, including captain Ajinkya Rahane.[9][10]
| No. | Player | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rinku Singh | ₹13 crore (US$1.5 million) |
| 2 | Sunil Narine | ₹12 crore (US$1.4 million) |
| 3 | Varun Chakravarthy | ₹12 crore (US$1.4 million) |
| 4 | Harshit Rana | ₹4 crore (US$470,000) |
| 5 | Ramandeep Singh | ₹4 crore (US$470,000) |
| 6 | Angkrish Raghuvanshi | ₹3 crore (US$350,000) |
| 7 | Vaibhav Arora | ₹1.8 crore (US$210,000) |
| 8 | Ajinkya Rahane | ₹1.5 crore (US$180,000) |
| 9 | Rovman Powell | ₹1.5 crore (US$180,000) |
| 10 | Manish Pandey | ₹75 lakh (US$89,000) |
| 11 | Umran Malik | ₹75 lakh (US$89,000) |
| 12 | Anukul Roy | ₹40 lakh (US$47,000) |
| Batters | Wicket-keepers | All-rounders | Bowlers |
|---|---|---|---|
| N/a |
|
- ^ Andre Russell announced his retirement from IPL in November 2025.[12]
- ^ Kolkata Knight Riders traded Mayank Markande to Mumbai Indians.[13]
Auction
The season's auction took place in December 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.[14] The auction purse for each franchise was set at ₹125 crore (US$15 million),[9] with franchises deducting an amount from the purse for every retained player.[6][15] Kolkata had a purse remaining of ₹64.30 crore (US$7.6 million).[16] Kolkata bought thirteen players in the auction, including nine capped players and six overseas players.[17][18]
Exclusion of Mustafizur Rahman
Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was bought by Kolkata for ₹9.2 crore (US$1.1 million) in the auction.[19] Following the 2025 Bangladesh anti-Hindu violence and lynching of Dipu Chandra Das in December 2025 led to calls for exclusion of Bangladeshi players from IPL.[20] In January 2026, the BCCI requested that the franchise release Rahman from the squad and permitted them to select a replacement player.[21]
Squad
- Players with international caps as of start of 2026 IPL are listed in bold.
- Ages are as of 26 March 2026.
- Withdrawn players are indicated by a dagger symbol (†) and placed at the bottom of the table.
| S/N | Name | Nationality | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Year signed | Salary | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Ajinkya Rahane |  India |
6 June 1988 (aged 37) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2025 | ₹1.5 crore (US$180,000) | |
| Batters | ||||||||
35 |
Rinku Singh | India |
12 October 1997 (aged 28) | Left-handed | Right-arm off-break | 2018 | ₹13.0 crore (US$1.5 million) | |
18 |
Angkrish Raghuvanshi | India |
5 June 2004 (aged 21) | Right-handed | Right-arm off-break | 2024 | ₹3.0 crore (US$350,000) | |
9 |
Manish Pandey | India |
10 September 1989 (aged 36) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2024 | ₹75 lakh (US$89,000) | |
52 |
Rovman Powell |  West Indies |
23 July 1993 (aged 32) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2025 | ₹1.5 crore (US$180,000) | Overseas |
| Rahul Tripathi | India |
2 March 1991 (aged 35) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2026 | ₹75 lakh (US$89,000) | ||
| Rachin Ravindra |  New Zealand |
18 November 1999 (aged 26) | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2026 | ₹2.0 crore (US$240,000) | Overseas | |
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||||
| Finn Allen | New Zealand |
22 April 1999 (aged 26) | Right-handed | Right-arm off-break | 2026 | ₹2.0 crore (US$240,000) | Overseas | |
| Tejasvi Singh | India |
18 April 2002 (aged 23) | Right-handed | N/a | 2026 | ₹3.0 crore (US$350,000) | ||
| Tim Seifert | New Zealand |
14 December 1994 (aged 31) | Right-handed | N/a | 2026 | ₹1.5 crore (US$180,000) | Overseas | |
| All-rounders | ||||||||
74 |
Sunil Narine | West Indies |
26 May 1988 (aged 37) | Left-handed | Right-arm off-break | 2012 | ₹12.0 crore (US$1.4 million) | Overseas |
45 |
Anukul Roy | India |
30 November 1998 (aged 27) | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2022 | ₹40 lakh (US$47,000) | |
19 |
Ramandeep Singh | India |
13 April 1997 (aged 28) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2024 | ₹4.0 crore (US$470,000) | |
| Cameron Green | .svg.png){kind=small} Australia |
3 June 1999 (aged 26) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2026 | ₹25.2 crore (US$3.0 million) | Overseas | |
| Sarthak Ranjan | India |
25 September 1996 (aged 29) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg-break | 2026 | ₹30 lakh (US$35,000) | ||
| Daksh Kamra | India |
9 January 2003 (aged 23) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg-break | 2026 | ₹30 lakh (US$35,000) | ||
| Pacers | ||||||||
22 |
Harshit Rana | India |
22 December 2001 (aged 24) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2022 | ₹4.0 crore (US$470,000) | |
14 |
Vaibhav Arora | India |
14 December 1997 (aged 28) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2023 | ₹1.8 crore (US$210,000) | |
24 |
Umran Malik | India |
22 November 1999 (aged 26) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 2025 | ₹75 lakh (US$89,000) | |
| Matheesha Pathirana |  Sri Lanka |
18 December 2002 (aged 23) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 2026 | ₹18.0 crore (US$2.1 million) | Overseas | |
| Kartik Tyagi | India |
8 November 2000 (aged 25) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2026 | ₹30 lakh (US$35,000) | ||
| Akash Deep | India |
15 December 1996 (aged 29) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2026 | ₹1.0 crore (US$120,000) | ||
| Mustafizur Rahman |  Bangladesh |
6 September 1995 (aged 30) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2026 | ₹9.2 crore (US$1.1 million) | Overseas; Released[a] | |
| Spinners | ||||||||
29 |
Varun Chakravarthy | India |
29 August 1991 (aged 34) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg-break | 2020 | ₹12.0 crore (US$1.4 million) | |
| Prashant Solanki | India |
22 February 2000 (aged 26) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg-break | 2026 | ₹30 lakh (US$35,000) | ||
Administration and support staff
Abhishek Nayar took over as the team's head coach after Chandrakant Pandit's three-year contract ended.[23] Shane Watson replaced Ottis Gibson as the team's assistant coach.[24] Tim Southee replaced Bharat Arun and Carl Crowe as the bowling coach.[25] Andre Russell was appointed as the power coach of the team, a unique role in franchise cricket.[26]
| Position | Name | Position | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Shah Rukh Khan (RCE) Jay Mehta (Mehta Group) |
CEO and MD | Venky Mysore |
| Head coach | Abhishek Nayar | Mentor | Dwayne Bravo |
| Assistant coach | Shane Watson | Team manager | Wayne Bentley |
| Bowling coach | Tim Southee | Power coach | Andre Russell |
| Physiotherapist | Prasanth Panchada | Strength and Conditioning coach |
Chris Donaldson |
| Analyst | Nathan Leamon | Massage Therapist | Subhajit Das |
| Assistant Physio | Ashok Sawant | Asst. Strength and Conditioning coach |
Sagar VM |
| Source: KKR Staff | |||
League stage
Points table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chennai Super Kings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | Advance to Qualifier 1 |
| 2 | Delhi Capitals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | Gujarat Titans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | Advance to Eliminator |
| 4 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 5 | Lucknow Super Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 6 | Mumbai Indians | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 7 | Punjab Kings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 8 | Rajasthan Royals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 9 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 10 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
First match(es) will be played: 26 March 2026. Source: ESPNcricinfo[27]
League progression
| Team | Group matches | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Q1/E | Q2 | F | |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | |||||||||||||||||||
| Win | Loss | No result |
- Note: The total points at the end of each group match are listed.
- Note: Click on the points (group matches) or W/L (playoffs) to see the match summary.
References
- ^ 2025 Indian Premier League points table standings at ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 27 June 2025. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ "Indian Premier League". Britannica.com. Archived from the original on 17 March 2025. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
- ^ "Kolkata Knight Riders thrash Sunrisers Hyderabad to claim third IPL title". The Guardian. 26 May 2024. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ "IPL 2025: No increase in the number of matches as BCCI wary of India's workload". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 25 May 2025. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ "IPL 2026 to be held between March 26 and May 31". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 23 December 2025. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ^ a b "IPL 2026 retention rules explained: How many players can a franchise retain or release before auction?". The Times of India. 12 November 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 13 November 2025. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ^ "IPL to allow temporary replacements for last leg of 2025 season". ESPNcricinfo. 30 October 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- ^ "IPL 2026 Retention: All you need to know ahead of deadline on November 15". Business Standard. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ^ a b c d "IPL 2026: How the squads stack up ahead of the auction". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 16 November 2025. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ^ a b c "IPL 2026 retention: Full list of players retained and released". Olympics.com. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ^ 2025 Indian Premier League, Kolkata Knight Riders squad at ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 26 May 2025. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ "Andre Russell Announces Retirement From IPL". News18. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ^ "Back in the MI Mix: Welcome home, Mayank Markande!". Mumbai Indians. 13 November 2025. Archived from the original on 15 November 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
- ^ "IPL auction set to take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ "IPL 2026 auction: What each team needs and how much they can spend". The Economic Times. 13 December 2025. ISSN 0013-0389. Archived from the original on 21 December 2025. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ^ "IPL 2026 Auction, All You Need To Know: Start Time, Rules, Squads, Purses, Slots And More". Wisden. 31 October 2024. Archived from the original on 23 December 2025. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ 2026 Indian Premier League auction, sold players at ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 23 December 2025. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ^ "IPL 2026 player list - full squads of each team". Olympics.com. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ^ "IPL 2026 Auction: Mustafizur Rahman sold to KKR for Rs. 9.20 crore". Sportstar. 16 December 2025. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
- ^ "KKR And Mustafizur Rahman Controversy Explained: What Is It About?". News18. 2 January 2026. Archived from the original on 1 January 2026. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
- ^ "KKR release Mustafizur from IPL 2026 squad following BCCI instructions". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 3 January 2026. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
- ^ 2026 Indian Premier League, Kolkata Knight Riders squad at ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
- ^ "KKR appoint Abhishek Nayar as head coach; replaces Chandrakant Pandit". The Times of India. 30 October 2025. Archived from the original on 8 December 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- ^ "IPL 2026 - Shane Watson joins KKR as assistant coach". ESPNCricinfo. 13 November 2025. Archived from the original on 21 December 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- ^ "IPL 2026: Tim Southee joins KKR as bowling coach". Sportstar. 14 November 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- ^ "Andre Russell retires from IPL; to return to KKR as 'power coach'". Olympics.com. 30 November 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- ^ 2026 Indian Premier League points table standings at ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
General references
- "IPL Season Schedule 2026". Indian Premier League Schedule. 19 (1). Board of Control for Cricket in India.