Previous Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra stated that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) need to target Australian all-rounder Cameron Green in the approaching Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction, including that he might show to be an “upgraded version” of Andre Russell, with whom the franchise parted methods ahead of the brand-new season.
In among the boldest relocations in the history of the IPL, three-time champs KKR parted methods with their premier all-rounder Andre Russell, ending an association of over a years in between these 2 entities, that had actually made Russell enormous appeal in India and KKR 2 IPL prizes.
Russell, who won the IPL MVP award in 2015 and 2019 with the Purple and Gold, had actually been a main figure for KKR given that signing up with the franchise in 2014. He was among 5 gamers maintained ahead of the 2025 mega auction for Rs 12 crore. Without him now, KKR goes into the auction with an enormous bag of Rs 64.3 crores, and they likewise have the choice of restoring him at a much lower cost.
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READ – IPL 2026: A Look At Squads Of CSK, DC, GT, KKR, LSG, MI, PBKS, RR, RCB, SRH After Releases & & Ahead Of Mega Auction
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra stated about Green, “I think one must make an edit of Cameron Green in purple and publish it already. KKR need Cameron Green. They will control the auction now because they have a lot of money. The bowling will not get impacted by (Spencer) Johnson, (Anrich) Nortje, or Russell going away. You have four overs each from Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine. Green would also give you three or four overs. They could also buy more overseas bowlers. Maybe Green could come in as an upgraded version of Russell,” he stated on his YouTube channel.
As a part of KKR from 2014-25, Russell scored 2,593 runs in 133 matches and 111 innings at approximately 28.81 and a strike rate of over 175, with 12 fifties and a finest rating of 88 * and likewise got 122 wickets at approximately 21.59, with a five-wicket haul and 3 four-fers to his name.
Green had a fantastic launching season with the Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2023, scoring 452 runs in 16 innings at an average of 50.22, with a strike rate of 160.28, consisting of a century and 2 fifties and likewise chose up 6 wickets. Green was brought by MI for Rs 17.5 crores ahead of the 2023 season.
Later on, RCB obtained him from MI in an all-cash offer ahead of the 2024 season, where he played an essential function in their inspiring go to the playoffs, which saw them get rid of a scary start to the competition with simply a win in the very first 8 matches, scoring 255 perform at approximately 31.38 with a strike rate of over 143 and taking 10 wickets at approximately 30.30 in 13 matches.
Green has actually been fantastic in T20Is this year, with 258 runs in 8 innings at approximately 43.00 and a strike rate of above 168, with 3 fifties and a finest rating of 56 *. Especially, he has actually likewise begun bowling ahead of the Ashes series versus England in the house, providing a scorching spell for Western Australia on his return, striking 135-140 clicks regularly.
To name a few abroad names launched are Moeen Ali, Anrich Nortje, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Spencer Johnson. KKR have actually likewise made another huge call by launching Venkatesh Iyer, which, while considerable, does not come as a total surprise provided his current kind.
The kept gamers of the three-time champs have a core group of gamers, that includes a mix of amazing young skill and skilled advocates such as Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi.
Declaring the group’s approach of constructing a cohesive team by integrating appealing young gamers with recognized worldwide stars, KKR’s retentions highlight the franchise’s ongoing dedication to supporting skill while preserving a strong one-upmanship for the upcoming season.
Here is the list of kept gamers for KKR for the upcoming season:
Maintained Players: Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy
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