Last year’s champions, who took some bold moves this time while retaining players before the IPL Mega Auction 2025, KKR went all-in by retaining six players, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, and Ramandeep Singh. The team spent 57 crores to retain these players from a 120-crore budget, leaving them with 63 crores to build the team. As mentioned, they made some bold moves by releasing big players, and now these cricketers are expected to snatch big money or could become the blue-eyed boys in the upcoming mega auction. Let’s see three players whom KKR released but who have the potential to fetch big amounts in the IPL 2025 auction.
Phil Salt
Every team needs a prolific wicketkeeper-batter, or more specifically, an aggressive wicketkeeper-batter. When it comes to acrobatic wicketkeepers who can destroy bowlers with the bat as well, there are high chances that we may see Phil Salt on that list. This England cricketer has been known for fast run-making, and it was evident in the last IPL when he played for KKR and in just 12 games he scored 435 runs with an amazing average of 40, also having a strike rate of 182, which is always needed in the shorter format of the game. Since KKR released him, we may see teams like RCB and DC go for this player. Having said that, teams need players like him, and with teams like RCB and DC needing such players, as well as Lucknow Super Giants now missing KL Rahul, Salt could be on the radar of these teams in the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Venkatesh Iyer
When Venkatesh Iyer was in the mix for KKR, he was a highly used player, contributing with both his batting and bowling, though his batting mostly stood out. If we look at the last IPL, where KKR thumped everyone, his contribution was valuable. In the 14 games he played, he scored 370 runs with an average of 46.25, and what caught everyone’s eye was his strike rate of 158.80. He played some magical innings for the camp, hitting high-quality shots rapidly. But now the scenario has changed, and he is not in the mix. Many teams are targeting all-rounders, which is nothing new, as players like Shreyas Iyer, Shardul Thakur, and even Hardik Pandya, who is now retained by MI, are in demand. Every team wants an all-rounder, and we may see Iyer getting a lot of attention in the upcoming IPL auction
Shreyas Iyer
Last but possibly the biggest name from KKR who is now not in the Kolkata camp, it came as a surprise when KKR decided to let go of the captain who helped the team clinch their third IPL trophy. Shreyas Iyer was a big boost when he was in the team, although his recent form has not been promising. In the last IPL, he played 14 games, scoring 351 runs at an average of 39 and a strike rate of 146.86. Now, KKR can’t use him, as they already have six players in their squad. The only thing that could bring Iyer back into the IPL is when teams bid for him, and the chances are likely that teams like Delhi Capitals, who already know Iyer since he was the captain when the team reached the finals in IPL 2020, could target him. Or it could be LSG, who are looking for a batter and captain, as KL Rahul is no longer there. It will be interesting to see what lies ahead for Iyer in the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction.
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