Reports: Kolkata Knight Riders set to release Andre Russell, Shreyas Iyer

Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders have taken a bold decision by releasing captain Shreyas Iyer and star performer Andre Russell ahead of the 2025 IPL mega-auction. As per reports, the three-time champion franchise held a few meetings with Iyer, particularly in the last few days but they couldn’t agree on terms. Previously, it was said that the India international held talks with two other franchises in the IPL and he is optimistic of getting a better deal in the auction.

The development regarding Russell happened in the final few days of the IPL retention. It was expected to be one of the first names on the retention list but interestingly, the franchise has decided to part ways with the all-rounder. It is believed that the KKR management will try to use the Right to Match card in the auction to bring him back into the set-up and it is going to be a difficult task given his popularity in the shortest format.

Meanwhile, KKR are set to retain Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy in the capped category. Narine, who was retained for only INR 6 crore ahead of IPL 2022, proved to be IPL’s most valuable player in 2024 as KKR went on to win the title beating Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets in the final.

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On the other hand, Rinku has also developed a special connection with the KKR management and the fan base. He has played 46 matches for the team in the IPL and has scored 893 runs at a strike rate of 143.33. The 27-year-old has been recognised as the finisher and might hold more responsibility in the future in case they fail to get back Russell.

Varun meanwhile has been KKR’s biggest trump card in the last few years. He helped the team qualify for the finals in the IPL 2021 and following which, the spinner was also called up to the national team. In the last two editions of the cash-rich league, Chakravarthy has picked up 41 wickets in 29 games and finished as the second-leading wicket-taker in the 2024 edition.

In the uncapped category, KKR are set to retain Harshit Rana and talks are ongoing with Ramandeep Singh. In case KKR retain four players, they will lose INR 47 crore and for five players, INR 51 crore.