At the IPL 2026 mini-auction, the famous Ravichandran Ashwin stated that the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had put together a formidable squad, but he questioned if his old India teammate Ajinkya Rahane would remain as their captain.
Given that KKR only won five of their 14 IPL 2025 games, both fans and pundits questioned some of the veteran Mumbai batter’s choices.
On Tuesday, December 16, the KKR management underwent a makeover and entered the IPL 2026 mini-auction with the largest purse of INR 64.3 crore. They made some significant acquisitions, like as death-over specialist Matheesha Pathirana and ace all-rounder Cameron Green. The three-time champions signed a number of well-known Indian players, including Rahul Tripathi and Akash Deep.
KKR finished ninth last season under Rahane’s direction.
In addition to KKR, Ashwin thinks the Rajasthan Royals, who acquired Ravi Bishnoi for INR 7 crore at the auction and had acquired all-rounders Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja for their lineup last month in exchange for Sanju Samson, did well.
“KKR has a fantastic team; I’m not sure if Ajinkya will be the captain. However, that is one side to be aware of whether he leads it with poise. The Rajasthan Royals are another team. You enter the auction and purchase Ravi Bishnoi for 7 crore after making such significant trades. In a video posted to his official YouTube account, Ashwin stated, “RR cooked in the auction, they are in an amazing position now.”
Cameron Green will likely begin the batting, while Rahane may open or bat at No. 3, as KKK did not chase for Venkatesh Iyer. How KKR can get Pathirana back to his best is their biggest obstacle. How would opponents score if they are able to use the mystery spinners to fit Pathirana’s overs in? According to the former India off-spinner, “KKR is an incredible team.”
India
