The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are coming off what is arguably their best season in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The successful franchise secured their third title in the 2024 season, finishing in the top two and overpowering SunRisers Hyderabad in the playoffs.
Ahead of the new season, KKR had several crucial decisions to make regarding player retentions. They chose a pragmatic approach, parting ways with captain Shreyas Iyer while retaining key players like Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ramandeep Singh, and Harshit Rana.
With a remaining budget of ₹51 crore for the auction, and no RTM cards to use, KKR’s spending power may be limited, especially with other teams having larger purses at their disposal. With that in mind, here are three areas KKR may struggle to address at the IPL 2025 auction:
#1 Can KKR find a capable captain within their budget?
After parting ways with Shreyas, KKR now face the challenge of finding a new captain at the auction. While they could consider one of their retained players, none have significant leadership experience at this level. Shreyas is unlikely to come cheap, especially with several teams also in need of a captain, making it tough for Kolkata to re-sign him.
Nitish Rana, who has captained the team before, could be an option, but he may not be easy to acquire and doesn’t match Shreyas’ leadership credentials. KKR may also struggle to find a strong overseas captain if they choose that route. It will be interesting to see how they approach this challenge.
#2 Kolkata needs to secure a dependable wicketkeeper
KKR brought in Phil Salt as a replacement for Jason Roy, and the move proved highly successful. The aggressive opener was one of their key players in IPL 2024 and is expected to attract significant interest at the auction. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who served as Salt’s backup, will also be in demand, with several teams looking for a reliable wicketkeeper.
Whether KKR can afford either Salt or Gurbaz remains uncertain, given their limited budget of ₹51 crore for building an entire squad. If not, players like Jos Buttler will come at a high price, while Quinton de Kock may not be the ideal fit alongside Sunil Narine at the top of the order.
#3 Finding quality overseas fast bowlers will be a challenge
KKR made Mitchell Starc the most expensive buy in IPL history at the 2024 auction. While the Australian pacer was largely disappointing during the league stage, he found form in the playoffs.
Kolkata will likely need to recruit a specialist overseas fast bowler to join Harshit and Russell in the pace attack, but their options could be restricted by their budget. The three-time IPL champions may struggle to secure their top targets, as some of their domestic retentions now take up a larger share of the available funds.
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