Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders became the 4th team to be eliminated from IPL 2025 playoffs race on Saturday. Whatever little chance that Rahane & co. had to make it to the playoffs was dashed, thanks to rain playing spoilsport in the game against RCB.
In this season, KKR have been highly inconsistent and have never managed to put up performances that mirrors their feat from the previous year. Some tough calls, in the form of releases, will have to be made ahead of IPL 2026 in order for the side to progress.
5 players KKR should release
1. Venkatesh Iyer
KKR broke their bank to bag Venkatesh for a whooping Rs 23.75 crore. However, the MP batter simply failed to replicate his heroics from the previous seasons. Iyer has managed to score just 142 runs from 11 matches, and averages 20.28 in IPL 2025. Additionally, he hasn’t bowled at all in this season. By releasing Venkatesh, KKR will not only free up their purse but will also get rid of a liability.
2. Quinton de Kock
The South African is another player that KKR need to get rid of ahead of IPL 2026. Barring his unbeaten 97-run knock, the keeper-batter has simply failed to fire in this season. There is no question about de Kock’s ability as he has proven to be a run-getter in the previous editions. However, KKR can rather release him since they already have a keeper-batter in the form of Gurbaz. Besides, by getting rid of de Kock, KKR can also afford to think of signing an Indian keeper.
3. Rinku Singh
Another player KKR can consider releasing ahead of the next season is Rinku Singh. The prolific batter, KKR’s most prized finisher after Russell, was retained for Rs 13 crore. Rinku has only managed to score 197 runs in 10 innings in IPL 2025. Not only has he been inconsistent with the bat, but he has also gotten very few balls to face for him to create any sort of impact.
4. Moeen Ali
The England all-rounder has fared decent so far in IPL 2025. However, the question remains if KKR is the right team for him. Ali has successfully played second fiddle to Varun Chakravarthy, bagging six wickets in the same number of matches that he has played this season. However, KKR should release him ahead of IPL 2026 simply because he isn’t used in each and every game. And secondly, because he is hardly given a chance to bat. By letting him go, KKR can think of singing another specialist spinner – something that they currently lack.
5. Rovman Powell
The Caribbean power-hitter was signed for Rs 1.5 crore by KKR in the mega auction. However, he has only featured in two games in this season, and has batted in just one innings. As long as Russell is around, Powell will hardly get an opportunity in KKR. Hence, it would be wise for the team to release him and allow the star to explore his potential with other teams who are in need of power hitters or finishers.
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