Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have announced their retained players for the IPL 2025 auction, keeping six key players and releasing others, including their high-profile signing Mitchell Starc. At Rs 13 crore, Rinku Singh was retained by KKR along with Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and Varun Chakravarthy at Rs 12 crore each. The total retention cost rose to Rs 57 crore from Rs 53 crore, as uncapped players Harshit Rana and Ramandeep Singh were also retained for Rs 4 crore each.
The most expensive player in IPL history at Rs 24.75 crore last season, Starc was surprised at his release, saying he had no prior discussions about the decision with the franchise. "It is what it is; that's franchise cricket," he said, adding that he was ready for the forthcoming auction where he would be available for bidding.
In an ODI against Pakistan recently, Starc showed his class by becoming the quickest Australian bowler to 100 ODI wickets in just 54 innings. In a match in which he took three wickets for 33 runs, he surpassed Brett Lee's record of 55 innings.
The KKR management said they would stick to their strategy of having a balanced squad that is capable of all-round play and young talent. KKR will enter the auction with a remaining budget of Rs 51 crore after a deduction of Rs 69 crore for retention rules, with Shreyas Iyer also released.
With the IPL 2025 auction looming, KKR looks to capitalise on their successful campaign while juggling the issues of team dynamics and player acquisitions.
