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Iyer joined KKR for Rs 12.25 crore in IPL 2022 mega auctions, and after missing the 2023 season due to a back injury, he led KKR to the title win in the 2024 edition.
Shreyas Iyer led KKR to IPL title win in 2024. (Picture Credit: Instagram/@shreyasiyer96)
Kolkata Knight Riders ended the 10-year-long wait for a third IPL title earlier this year by getting the better of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final played under Shreyas Iyer’s leadership. The Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise now would like to successfully defend its title next year.
KKR had some of the best T20 players in its ranks in the 2024 edition, and ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auctions, which are reportedly scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia next month, they will be eager to keep hold of as many players as possible.
Here’s a look at six players KKR should retain ahead of IPL 2025 mega auctions.
Shreyas Iyer (18 crore): Shreyas Iyer joined Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 12.25 crore in the IPL 2022 mega auctions and was appointed as the team’s new captain as well. After a disappointing show in his first season, Iyer missed the 2023 edition due to a back injury, but he made a stunning comeback in the 2024 edition of the cash-rich league and led the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise to its third IPL title. Iyer has made a big name for himself as captain in the IPL and is a very talented middle-order batter as well.
Sunil Narine (14 crore): West Indies cricketer Sunil Narine has been associated with KKR since the 2012 edition of the IPL and is the most capped player (177) for the franchise. He is the leading wicket-taker (180) in IPL for KKR, and with the bat (1534 runs) as well, he has won many matches single-handedly. Narine is the only cricketer in IPL history to have won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award on three occasions, with the latest one coming in the 2024 season itself.
Andre Russell (18 crore): Russell joined KKR in 2014 and has been with them since them. Like Narine, Russell has also won many matches single-handedly for the Kolkata-based franchise. He is KKR’s third-leading run scorer (2426) and second-leading wicket-taker (114) in the IPL, and on two occasions he has won the MVP award. He was KKR’s first retention ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction and is set to pocket a big amount this year as well.
Rinku Singh (14 crore): Rinku Singh became a household name in India after he hammered five sixes in a row in the last over of the IPL 2023 match against GT and won it for KKR out of nowhere. The left-handed batter finished as the leading run scorer for KKR in IPL 2023 and has done well in T20Is for India as well since making his debut in August 2023.
Phil Salt (11 crore): England’s wicketkeeper batter Phil Salt joined KKR for Rs 1.5 crore in the IPL 2024 mini auction but made a big name for himself with his super show with the bat as an opener. In 12 matches, he hammered 435 runs with a strike rate of 182.00. The 28-year-old Salt is one of the best T20 batters of present times, and KKR could opt to retain him over the likes of Mitchell Starc and Varun Chakravarthy, who also played a key role in KKR’s IPL 2024 title win.
Harshit Rana (4 crore): Delhi-based pacer Harshit Rana is yet to make his debut for India, which is why there is a high possibility that KKR will retain him as an uncapped player. The 22-year-old pacer has 25 wickets to his name in 21 IPL matches played so far, out of which he picked up 19 in the 2024 season itself.
