They are the previous IPL 2024 champions. With the coaching of champion cricketers Gautam Gambhir and Abhishek Nayar, the Kolkata Knight Riders team clinched the IPL trophy for the third time. However, in the 2024 season, like other teams, the upcoming IPL player selection has become a tough choice for the KKR management. According to various media reports, KKR CEO Venky Mysore acknowledged that finalizing the retention list for the upcoming mega auction event was a challenging task for every team management. As reigning IPL 2024 champions, the Purple Army made bold moves, including not retaining captain Shreyas Iyer.

This year, KKR decided to retain six players, including middle-order batsman Rinku Singh (₹13 crore), all-rounder Andre Russell (₹12 crore), Sunil Narine (₹12 crore), Varun Chakravarthy (₹12 crore), and both Harshit Rana and Ramandeep Singh (₹4 crore each). Consequently, this decision led to the release of key players such as Shreyas Iyer, Mitchell Starc, Phil Salt, Venkatesh Iyer, and former captain Nitish Rana, who played a vital role in securing the title for the franchise.

Mysore said, “We could have potentially retained at least 10 to 11 players, but limiting it to six was a challenging task. These are players with whom we’ve built strong relationships and who have delivered remarkable performances for KKR.”

Interestingly, Sunil Narine has been with KKR for 12 years, while Andre Russell has been part of the team for 10 years. Varun Chakravarthy joined in 2019, and Rinku Singh has been with KKR since 2018. Harshit Rana has spent three years with the team, while Ramandeep Singh made a significant impact last season after joining.

KKR currently holds ₹51 crore for the auction, with no Right-to-Match (RTM) cards, which will significantly impact their auction strategy. Throughout that matter, the KKR CEO said, “The nature of this year’s rules will be challenging for everyone. We are going into the auction with ₹51 crore while retaining six players. Other teams with minimal or no retention will have a different challenge in building a full squad.”

Reflecting on his experience, Mysore added, “This is my 15th auction, and I am constantly amazed. We prepared for this decision, and we believe it presents a good approach for us. With the support of team management and our owners, we can formulate a solid plan.”

After releasing Shreyas Iyer, KKR is now searching for a new captain. According to some media reports, KKR is eyeing Rishabh Pant, who was recently released by the Delhi Capitals franchise. Additionally, Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan’s franchise is working to fill the vacant coaching positions left by Abhishek Nayar and Ryan Ten Doeschate. Regarding this matter Mysore remarked, “With the help of our management, we have developed a collective approach to decision-making. David Hussey (DJ), Chandrakant Pandit, Bharath Arun, Karl Crow, and our analyst Nathan Lemon have all been very active in this process.”