As the 2026 IPL season gets closer, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) begin another new chapter. The team has one of the most colorful histories in the league, filled with big wins, bold decisions and several rebuilds. Over time, KKR has evolved from an inconsistent side to a strong side that can produce match-winners in all departments.

KKR's major transformation began in the Gautam Gambhir era, which resulted in two IPL titles, in 2012 and 2014. His ethos changed the whole KKR style, based around confidence, discipline and smart approaches. After their success, KKR experienced a mixed bag of good and average years while trying to achieve consistent results and rebuild at the same time.

From 2015 to 2020, KKR were competitive but usually ended up around the mid-table mark. That once more changed when a new leadership-coaching arrangement took them through a brilliant 2024 season in which KKR won the IPL title by beating Sunrisers Hyderabad in a strong final performance. In 2025, they had moments of brilliance but could not sustain the tempo and finished in the mid-table.

KKR Retentions, Releases and Trades for IPL 2026

Now, going into the IPL 2026 season, KKR begins to enter an important period. The retention decisions reflect that the franchise wants a nice team balance, retaining experience and also opening spots to young talents. This mix could help KKR retain hopes of fighting for the title again in the tournament.

KKR also released a few big players prior to the mini-auction and made one trade, which involves Mayank Markande. These moves have shown that the team is preparing for a fresh start while keeping its strong core intact.

See Also: Delhi Capitals retained and released players list ahead of IPL 2026 auction

KKR Retained Players for IPL 2026

KKR have retained Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora and Varun Chakaravarthy for the IPL 2026 season.

KKR Released Players for IPL 2026

The players released by KKR include Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, Moeen Ali, Anrich Nortje and Mayank Markande, who has also been traded out.

KKR Trades for IPL 2026

KKR have traded out Mayank Markande to the Mumbai Indians as part of their pre-auction squad changes.