The former Karnataka and Kolkata Knight Riders’ spinner, KC Cariappa, has decided to retire from Indian cricket as he aims to feature in the overseas franchise leagues around the world. The 31-year-old featured in 23 innings in first-class cricket, where he has earned 75 wickets at an average of 23.20 and a strike rate of 55.8, thanks to his 54-wicket haul and six 5-wicket hauls.

From Karnataka, Cariappa made the move to Mizoram, where he featured in the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) and picked up one wicket in his last game against Manipur, besides picking two 3-wicket holes against Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. He has always been a very fine bowler in the shortest format of the game.

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In 20 innings of the domestic 50-over format, the spinner has picked up 24 wickets at an average of Justice over 31 and a strike rate of 43.2, thanks to his economy rate of 4.38 with the best figures of 3/28. In case of the T20s, he has picked up 58 wickets at an economy rate of 6.60 at an average of 24.62.

KC Cariappa retires from all forms of Indian cricket

Cariappa was part of two IPL franchises, the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Punjab Kings, from 2015 to 2019. In his very first season, he played just one game for Kolkata, where he picked a 1 wicket before featuring in nine clashes for the Punjab side, where he picked up seven wickets in nine innings before making his move back to Kolkata, where he played just one game again in 2019.

Since then, Cariappa has not played a single IPL game. However, just like some of the other players of Indian cricket- including Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Shikhar Dhawan, and others- he also aims to feature in the overseas franchise leagues around the world, having retired from Indian cricket.

With the bat, he was not a regular candidate with an average of 26.47 in first-class cricket, having celebrated 4 half-centuries. Cariappa’s unusual action of the leg spin makes it harder for the batsman to pick him from the hand, which may also help him in future franchise leagues around the world.

The question of who KC Cariappa came to everyone’s mind when the Kolkata Knight Riders, the defending champions of the IPL 2015, put up a massive price of INR 2.4 crore, which was 24 times his base price of the leg spinner in that year’s auction. Curiously, both the BCCI and the Karnataka State Cricket Association had him listed as an off-break bowler.

At five feet 11 inches, the Karanatakaleg spinner is tall for any other spinners and bowls with an orthodox random action as the leg break is his stock delivery with variations like the googly and the faster ones. His other strength that could make it difficult for the batters to read him is his ability to bowl off-spinners without changing the grip.

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The 31-year-old decided to take his retirement from Indian cricket with 75 wickets in just fourteen first-class games at an average of 23.20, thanks to his five four-wicket and six five-wicket hauls at the best figures of 7/69 in an innings.

Know former KKR and PBKS spinner- Karnataka’s KC Cariappa

It was 2021 when he was not picked for the Karnataka side in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), before he aimed for redemption when he was picked for the Rajasthan Royals but did not feature in a single game of the season.

“It was a very depressing period for me when I was not part of the Karnataka team earlier this year. I did well last year in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, but after that, things became bad for me. I was just roaming around in Bengaluru, and my fitness had taken a toll, but that is when Zubin (Bharucha) sir called me to ask me to come for the IPL trials. I was shocked that someone was asking me to come for trials because I had been lost for one year.” Cariappa claimed.  

“Zubin sir then called me and said, 'I've been following you since 2015, but what is wrong with you? What is wrong with your fitness? We like your bowling, but you have to get your fitness right.' And that was the moment when I found the motivation again, and I worked really hard to get back into shape. So I'm really thankful to him and to the Rajasthan Royals franchise.” The leg spinner concluded.

The current relationship between India and Bangladesh has got another chapter in the sour page as the latter’s premium pacer, Mustafizur Rahman, was released from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 squad after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) gave direction to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Mustafizur lost a contract of 9.2 crore as Bangladesh wrote a letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC) requesting to relocate their T20 World Cup 2026 games out of India. Less than 24 hours from that decision, the Bangladesh government issued a notice to suspend IPL broadcast in the country for an indefinite period.

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“In view of the above subject, it is being informed that it has come to our attention that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has directed the exclusion of Bangladeshi star player Mr. Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders team for the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament scheduled to be held from March 26, 2026.” The government’s letter to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting read.

Bangladesh government bans IPL broadcast in their country

The BCB director, Faruque Ahmed, directed the board to refuse to play their World Cup matches on Indian soil as he issued security reasons behind the refusal and wanted the hybrid model to be followed, just like India and Pakistan matches, where they will face each other in Sri Lanka.

“No logical reason is known for such a decision by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, and such a decision has saddened, hurt, and aggrieved the people of Bangladesh. Under these circumstances, until further notice, it is requested as per instructions to stop the broadcast/telecast of all matches and programs of the Indian Premier League (IPL).” The Ministry letter is addressed.

It will now be a logistical nightmare for the ICC to make the final call as Bangladesh are placed in Group C alongside West Indies, Italy, England, and Nepal, and are scheduled to play all of their games in Kolkata and Mumbai with the campaign beginning on February 07. 

England’s young batting all-rounder Jacob Bethell believes his brief but intense exposure to the Indian Premier League played a key role in helping him handle the pressure of an Ashes debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, one of the most intimidating venues in world cricket.

IPL experience proves crucial in preparing Bethell for Ashes debut pressure

The 22-year-old was drafted into England’s XI for the Boxing Day Test, replacing Ollie Pope at No.3, and responded with a composed knock of 40 as England chased down 175 to secure a memorable four-wicket win. The victory ended England’s long wait for a Test win in Australia and snapped an 18-match winless run Down Under.

Bethell admitted the occasion initially got to him, but said his stint with Indian Premier League helped him stay calm when it mattered most. Having featured in two matches for Royal Challengers Bengaluru during their title-winning 2025 campaign, Bethell said the atmosphere in India offered an unexpected rehearsal for the Ashes spotlight.

“I was pretty nervous - not so much with the people, just the occasion,” Bethell said. “But I’ve played in India where it feels like there’s 160,000 watching. Playing in front of 50,000 at the Chinnaswamy, which felt like 100,000, definitely gave me more confidence coming into this game.”

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Calm under pressure strengthens Bethell’s case as England’s long-term No.3

Walking out to bat at the Melbourne Cricket Ground with England still needing over 100 runs, Bethell showed maturity beyond his years. His timely boundaries eased the pressure and steadied a chase that could easily have slipped away on a challenging surface.

While his first-innings dismissal was forgettable, Bethell’s second-innings contribution offered a glimpse of why England see him as a long-term option at No.3. He described the role as a “double-edged sword”, demanding both survival and intent, but one he is keen to make his own.

For now, Bethell isn’t chasing labels or guarantees. His focus is simple: contribute, learn, and stay in the XI. And if handling a roaring Chinnaswamy crowd helped him breathe easier in Melbourne, England may have the IPL to thank for a calm head on the Ashes stage.

Before the year's end, a report depicting the top 10 richest sports leagues in the world in 2025 has emerged. According to the report published by sportpreferred.com, the Indian Premier League is among the top revenue-generating tournaments across the globe.

According to the report, IPL is in the second spot, after the National Football League (NFL). While the valuation (2025–26) of the NFL reads $20 billion, the IPL owned $17 billion in the same duration. After the top spot holder, the NFL, and the second spot holder, the IPL, the list continues with the National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB), the English Premier League (EPL), the National Hockey League (NHL), Bundesliga, La Liga Santander, Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League as the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth place claimers, respectively.

The report also described the reasons behind the rankings of each league. It is claimed that the Indian Premier League generated $1.21 billion per year. Apart from multiple sponsors, merchandise and ticket sales are pointed to as the major reasons behind the growth of the franchise cricket tournament financially. 'IPL continues to stand as the world’s most commercially successful cricket league,' the report stated.

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Know why IPL is in the second spot of the richest league in 2025 

Last year, IPL 2025 was the peak of the hype due to the triumph of Royal Challengers Bengaluru. For the first time in the history of the league, RCB claimed their first ever IPL title with Virat Kohli. Virat Kohli appeared as their main run-scorer under the leadership of Rajat Patidar.

With the new champion, the upcoming IPL season, IPL 2026, is also going to be very exciting. The tournament can gain more attention, as in the coming year, the ICC T20I World Cup is also scheduled to take place.

When Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) picked Rishabh Pant as the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), they perhaps hoped for instant success. And that cost them massively. Lucknow ended at the seventh position in the points table of the IPL 2025 with the help of six victories at a net run rate of -0.376.

Rishabh Pant was pressurized with the leadership duties, which took its toll on his batting as the left-handed batter ended with only 269 runs in 13 innings at an average of 24.45 and a strike rate of 133.16 with the help of one half-century and one century at the best score of unbeaten 118 runs. Lucknow will hope to see their captain coming with a fresh mindset.

See Also: Punjab Kings (PBKS) strongest playing 11 for IPL 2026 after mini auction

For them, the biggest contribution in the batting department came from the opening batter, Mitchell Marsh, who smashed 627 runs in 13 innings at an average of 48.23 and a strike rate of 163.70 with the help of six half-centuries and one century at the best score of 117. He will need to repeat such heroics in 2026.

Lucknow Super Giants’ strongest playing 11 for IPL 2026 after mini auction

Lucknow couldn’t get a finish in the auction, having released David Miller from the squad. Late in the auction, they went after Josh Inglis and signed him for INR 8.6 crore, which is too costly for a place, who will remain available only for four games of the entire season due to his wedding.

LSG full squad ahead of IPL 2026

Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh, Aiden Markram, Akshat Raghuvanshi, Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran, Josh Inglis, Mukul Choudhary, Arshin Kulkarni, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Digvesh Rathi, M Siddharth, Akash Singh, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan, Anrich Nortje, Prince Yadav, Arjun Tendulkar, Mayank Yadav, Naman Tiwari

There is no doubt that Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram will open the batting for the Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2026. Just like Marsh, Markram was equally in form during the previous IPL. The right-handed battered bat matched 445 runs in 30 innings at an average of 34.23 and a strike rate of 148.82 with the help of five fifties at the best score of 66.

This will be followed by Nicholas Pooran at number three. The Southpaw cracked 524 runs in 14 innings of IPL 2025 at an average of 43.66 and a strike rate of 196.25 with the help of five half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 87 runs. That will be massive firepower for the side if Pant and their number 5 batter, Ayush Badoni, come into form.

Moreover, Lucknow will also have the services of Wanindu Hasaranga in IPL 2026. The Sri Lankan spin allrounder can bowl four overs at any phase of the innings and provide them with some vital batting at number seven. In the pace bowling department, Lucknow will have the experience of Muhammad Shami.

Last year, the franchise didn’t Mayank for most of the tournament. But if he remains fully fit for 2026, then the right-arm pacer can take care of the middle overs of the innings. Digvesh Rathi and Shahbaz Ahmed will go through the spin department of the side.

The biggest issue for this franchise will be the injury-prone bowlers. Their new signing, Anrich Nortje, is another such member of the list who hasn’t played a lot of games in the last couple of seasons.

LSG's strongest playing 11 for IPL 2026 after mini auction

Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (c & wk.), Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaz Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Mohammad Shami, Mayank Yadav.

Impact player: Digvesh Rathi.

During the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Delhi Capitals (DC) had two halves of the campaign. They ended the tournament in fifth position in the event with seven victories in 14 clashes at a net run rate of +0.111. However, they could have sweetly progressed into the playoffs, having won five of the last six encounters.

Meanwhile, they faced five defeats in the last six fixtures of the competition, which saw the Axar Patel-led side lose the momentum and fail to qualify for the event. For the franchise, their opening batter and the wicket-keeper, KL Rahul, was the biggest contributor with the help of 539 runs in 13 innings at an average of 53.90 and a strike rate of 149, thanks to three fifties and one century.

See Also: Mumbai Indians (MI) strongest playing 11 for IPL 2026 after mini auction

Abhishek Porel was equally good at the top for his decent performance of 301 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 146.82 with the help of one century, while Tristan Stubbs has slammed 300 runs in 13 innings at an average of 50 and a strike rate of over 150 with the best score of undefeated 41 runs.

Delhi Capitals’ strongest playing 11 for IPL 2026 after mini auction

The Capitals started the auction with the signing of David Miller for the base price of INR 2 crore and ended it with another base price buy of Kyle Jamieson at INR 1.5 crore. In between, even with a small purse, they perhaps made use of the auction beautifully and got the required players.

DC full squad ahead of IPL 2026

KL Rahul, Abishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs, Ben Duckett, Prithvi Shaw, Karun Nair, Nitish Rana, Pathum Nissanka, Ashutosh Sharma, David Miller, Sameer Rizvi, Sahil Parakh, Axar Patel, Vipraj Nigam, Kyle Jamieson, Auqib Nabi, Madhav Tiwari, T Vijay, Ajay Mandal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, Mukesh Kumar, T Natarajan, Lungi Ngidi, Dushmantha Chameera.

Rahul is anticipated to open with either Ben Duckett or Pathum Nissanka for the next season. All of those three players are suitable options for wicket-keeping. Even if they want, they can go with Prithvi Shaw at the opening position, which will open up an extra foreign slot for the Capitals at the top order.

At number three, Delhi can have Nitish Rana, followed by Tristan Stubbs at number four. Axar Patel will walk at number five in the batting order. One of the positions where the Capitals struggled in the last season of the IPL was their lower middle order. And this year, they will have the services of David Miller for the spot.

Both Stubbs and Miller can be brilliant spin hitters, along with their thunderbolt fielding, which is also an important aspect in the shortest format of the game. Ashutosh Sharma will walk at number seven along with Vipra Singh at 8.

There is no doubt of Mitchell Stark and T Natarajan being part of the playing 11 along with Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep’s four overs, along with Axar’s four, will take care of the middle overs for the Capitals. Natarajan could not do well in the death overs last season despite being paid INR 10 crore in the last season. He hopes to turn the tables this year.

If Delhi goes with one of the foreign players at the top, then they have to go with Auqib Nabi as the impact player. Otherwise, they will have the option of either picking Lungi Ngidi, Dushmantha Chameera, or Kyle Jamieson in the eleven.

DC’s strongest playing 11 for IPL 2026 after mini auction

KL Rahul (wk.), Ben Duckett/Prithvi Shaw, Nitish Rana, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel (c), David Miller, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Auqib Nabi/Kyle Jamieson, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc.

Impact Player: T Natarajan.

After a long time, Punjab Kings (PBKS) got it right in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer and head coach Ricky Ponting, as they ended as the runners-up of the campaign, losing the final against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Punjab hopes to continue the same success mantra in the 2026 season.

One of the biggest reasons for the success of the franchise was their opening batter, Priyansh Arya, who smashed 475 runs in 17 innings at an average of 27.94 and a strike rate of 179.24 with the help of two half-centuries and one century at the best score of 103. He hopes to showcase another such edition with the bat.

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Their captain, Shreyas Iyer, was equally excellent with the bat in the middle order of the side as they cracked 604 runs in 17 innings of the competition at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 175.07, scoring six half-centuries at the best score of undefeated 97 runs.

Punjab Kings’ strongest playing 11 for IPL 2026 after mini auction

Punjab didn’t lift its paddle in the first five hours of the auction. They didn’t actually have any gap in the squad, apart from Josh Inglis, whom they left out, given he won’t be available for more than four games of the season due to his wedding. They also needed some injury placements, which they completed in the bidding war.

Punjab Kings full squad for IPL 2026

Harnoor Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Shreyas Iyer, Prabhsimran Singh, Vishnu Vinod, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ben Dwarshuis, Cooper Connolly, Harpreet Brar, Marco Jansen, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Owen, Musheer Khan, Shashank Singh, Suryansh Shedge, Praveen Dubey, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Vishal Nishad, Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur.

In the opening pair, the Kings won’t need to think much over Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, who drilled 549 runs in 17 innings of the last IPL at an average of 32.29 and a strike rate of 160.52 with the help of four half-centuries at the best score of 91. At number three, they will have Shreyas, followed by Nehal Wadhera at four.

Mitchell Owen can now straightaway come into the eleven at number five and blast the big shots he has been known for. But as his replacement, the franchise also signed the young and aggressive Australian batter, Cooper Connolly, who can also provide a few overs of left-arm spin.

In the middle order, the toss-up will be between Marcus Stoinis and Azmatullah Omarzai, where the latter is likely to get his place in the eleven. The Afghanistan star bowled really well in the last season and added some vital runs with the bat whenever required, and may look to continue the same in the 2026 campaign.

Shashank Singh can end up being at number seven as their impact player, having bailed them out on many occasions in the tournament. Marco Jansen has developed his skills with the bat and ball and can prove to be handy with the new ball and later in the death overs. Arshdeep Singh brings the left-arm angle into the game, while the rocket pace of Lockie Ferguson. Ben Dwarshuis could be his replacement.

And last but not least, Yuzvendra Chahal, who has a new career with the Punjab Kings, as he earned so much success in the IPL 2025.

PBKS strongest playing 11 for IPL 2026 after mini auction

Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk.), Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, Mitchell Owen, Marcus Stoinis/Azmatullah Omarzai, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson/Ben Dwarshuis.

Impact player: Yuzvendra Chahal.

Rajasthan Royals (RR) didn’t enjoy their last season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as they finished at the penultimate position of the points table with four wins in 10 clashes at a net run rate of -0.549. From the beginning of the campaign, they didn’t get their wicket-keeper opening batter and captain, Sanju Samson, and had to make changes in the eleven.

However, the Royals made a massive move before the auction, which saw them trade in their former spin all-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja, from the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), along with Sam Curran. Both of them are quite guaranteed to be in their starting XI.

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Riyan Parag can now be the full-time leader of the franchise in the absence of Samson. But it can also come down to Yashasvi Jaiswal, who will be up for the leadership role, having a long future across formats for the Indian side. This added responsibility will also help him grow his caliber for the national side.

Rajasthan Royals’ strongest playing 11 for IPL 2026 after mini auction

Rajasthan made the massive buy of the Indian spinner, Ravi Bishnoi, for a price of INR 7.20 crore, as they anyway needed replacements for both Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana. They can now remain assured of the eight overs from Ravindra Jadeja and Bishnoi in the middle overs.

Rajasthan Royals (RR) full squad for IPL 2026

Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Aman Rao, Dhruv Jurel, Ravi Singh, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Riyan Parag, Yudhvir Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Raj Punja, Vignesh Puthur, Jofra Archer, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Sushant Mishra, Adam Milne, Kuldeep Sen, Brijesh Sharma.

There is no doubt for the franchise opening with their two southpaws – Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The latter drilled 252 runs in seven innings of the IPL 2025 at an average of 36 and a strike rate of 206.55 with the help of one fifty and one century to his name. He has also now become more mature with time.

Jaiswal will hope to continue the same success of the last season when he smashed 559 runs in 14 innings at an average of 43 and a strike rate of 160 with the help of six half-centuries at the best score of 75. At number three, they can keep Lhuan-dre-Pretorious and follow it with Riyan Parag.

The minor issue could be having three left-handed batters in the top order. However, that doesn’t make a massive difference in the shortest format of the game. Another southpaw, Shimron Hetmyer, walks at number six for the franchise, just after the wicket-keeper batter, Dhruv Jurel.

Jadeja and Curran mean the Royals have got special players at number seven and eight. The latter can be a fine option in the middle overs and death, using his slower deliveries to fox the bowlers. Meanwhile, they hope for a far better performance from the Indian pacers- including Sandeep Sharma, who continues to impress in the IPL even with the growing age.

They will also have Tushar Deshpande in the eleven, along with Jofra Archer and Ravi Bishnoi. They don’t have the backup of Jurel, which will be tricky at times. In place of Archer, who would need to be rested in the middle of the event, the franchise can use Adam Milne with the new ball or bring Nandre Burger’s left-arm pace.

RR’s strongest playing 11 for IPL 2026 after mini auction

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Lhuan-dre-Pretorious, Riyan Parag (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk.), Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar Deshpande.

Impact player: Sandeep Sharma.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) perhaps had the most ordinary season after winning the title in the previous edition. They didn’t have stars in the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) by finishing at the eighth position of the points table with five wins in 14 games at a net run rate of -0.305.

For a big part of the season, Kolkata had a problem with their captain, Ajinkya Rahane, who didn’t perform as expected. That was the issue they faced in getting the balance of the combination, besides getting the worst performance from their star pace bowling all-rounder, Venkatesh Iyer, who was signed for a massive price of INR 23.75 crore last year.

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Kolkata also won’t have the services of their long-time servant, Andre Russell, for the next season, as the premier all-rounder of the West Indies side announced his retirement from the league. That pushed them to get a star and a young all-rounder in the team, along with the death overs specialist.

Kolkata Knight Riders’ strongest playing 11 for IPL 2026 after mini auction

Kolkata, who went into the auction with the biggest purse, signed the star Australian all-rounder, Cameron Green, for a massive price of INR 25.20 crore, as he is going to fill the void left by Russell’s move to the coaching staff. They also went after Matheesha Pathirana and picked him for a whopping price of INR 18 crore.

Full KKR squad ahead of IPL 2026

Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Rahul Tripathi, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Finn Allen, Tejasvi Dahiya, Tim Seifert, Anukul Roy, Cameron Green, Daksh Kamra, Ramandeep Singh, Rachin Ravindra, Sarthak Ranjan, Sunil Narine, Prashant Solanki, Varun Chakravarthy, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Kartik Tyagi, Matheesha Pathirana, Mustafizur Rahman, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora.

Kolkata is likely to open with Rahana and one of Tim Seifert or Finn Allen, who will also go through the wicket-keeping role of the eleven. The former is likely to get the chance, given his recent heroics where he smashed a fine century in the ongoing BBL 2025/26 for the Melbourne Renegades. However, Allen isn’t a bad option either at the opening spot.

At number three, the Knight Riders will have Angkrish Raghuvanshi in the side, followed by Cameron Green, who can contribute with at least three overs in the middle of the required. The toss-up will be between Rahul Tripathi and Anukul Roy in the eleven, with the latter providing overs inside the powerplay and having been in tremendous touch for Jharkhand in the SMAT 2025/26.

Rinku Singh has bossed the number six position with Ramandeep Singh coming at number seven. However, the dynamics may change for the franchise if they decide to open with Sunil Narine; who else can be slotted at number eight? When he got the chance to open in 2023, the southpaw smashed a fine century against the Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens.

Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora will be their Indian pacers, with the back-up of Karhik Tyagi being prepared. Pathirana is likely to start the campaign, as Kolkata also used over INR 9 crore for Mustafizur Rahman for a similar role. However, the Bangladesh bowler won’t be available for the entire season, which was already communicated to the franchises by the BCCI ahead of the auction.

Varun Chakravarthy, the impact player, will surely bring the potential impact in the eleven. In case Narine opens, the franchise may then go with Rovman Powell in the lower order.

KKR's strongest playing 11 for IPL 2026 after mini auction

Tim Seifert/Finn Allen (wk.), Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Cameron Green, Rahul Tripathi/Anukul Roy, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Matheesha Pathirana.

Impact player: Varun Chakravarthy.