Should Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) again bid for Venkatesh Iyer during the IPL 2026 auction? The question has been running around since they released their list of released players. KKR, who bought Iyer for INR 23.75 in the mega auction ahead of the IPL 2025 season, let him go ahead of a new Indian Premier League season. During a recent YouTube conversation, the cricketer himself claimed that the franchise can again try to acquire his service for another season. 

During the conversation Venkatesh Iyer said that he has been in discussion with Kolkata Knight Riders. He is still in touch with the newly appointed head coach, Abhishek Nayar. 

'Yes, I’ve been in conversation with KKR. I’m still in touch with Abhishek Nayar. We are all looking forward to the auction, and let’s see what happens," Iyer stated. 

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During the IPL 2025 campaign, the southpaw played eleven matches and scored 142 runs at an average of 20.28, including the highest score of 60. In the 2024 season, his batting average was 46.25. After the massive dip in the batting stats of Iyer, KKR team management decided to let him go to secure a handsome purse for the mini auction. 

Released and retained players of Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of IPL 2026: 

Released Players of KKR: Andre Russell (₹12 crore), Venkatesh Iyer (₹23.75 crore), Quinton de Kock (₹3.6 crore), Moeen Ali (₹2 crore), Anrich Nortje (₹6.5 crore), Spencer Johnson (₹2.80 crore), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (₹2 crore)

Retained Players of KKR: Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, ⁠Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy

Available Slots: 13 (including 6 overseas slots)

Available Purse: INR 64.3 Crore.