“He's the ideal fit for KKR” - Ex-Indian selector feels Kolkata should bid for Australian all-rounder in IPL 2026 auction

Former Indian selector and analyst Kris Srikkanth has asserted that the IPL 2024 champions Kolkata Knight Riders should go hard with their bids for the Australia batting all-rounder Cameron Green if he registers for the IPL 2026 mini-auction.

Interestingly, KKR went ahead with a total of 10 player releases ahead of the IPL 2026 auction as they managed to retain only 12 players. Surprisingly, they will head to the mini-auction with a hefty purse of INR 64.3 Crore.

"They'll go for a guy like Cameron Green. He's the ideal fit for KKR. And on the short boundaries at Eden Gardens, he'll smash sixes at will,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.

"They should guide a guy like Umran Malik. He's someone who needs guidance. He can be a potential match-winner. He was a match-winner for SRH. No player can slide so badly unless his confidence is shattered. So you've to just pump in and inject confidence in him. He'll do well for you, Umran Malik," he added.

Interestingly, KKR had to let go of their match-winning all-rounder Andre Russell, who has been part of the franchise for a long time. Also, they have released their all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, which helped them in increasing their purse.

"Reaffirming the team's philosophy of building a cohesive squad by combining promising young players with established international stars, KKR's retentions highlight the franchise's continued commitment to nurturing talent while maintaining a strong competitive edge for the upcoming season,” KKR said in an official statement about their retentions.

KKR Retained Players: Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, and Varun Chakaravarthy.

KKR Released Players: Luvnith Sisodia, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Moeen Ali, Mayank Markande, Spencer Johnson, Anrich Nortje, and Chetan Sakariya.

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