Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2025 Squad: Full Player List And Auction Analysis

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) built strongly on their title-winning core in the IPL 2025 auction, spending ₹ 50.95 crores on 15 players, 9 of them Indians

Initially, they started slowly on the first day of the auction on Sunday, trying to sign almost half of the marquee players but failing. They became more lively in the second half and signed seven players before rounding up the team with eight more on Monday.

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Venkatesh Iyer plays cricket in traditional attire in temple complex in Kanchipuram.(Photo: Instagram) — Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2025 Squad: Full Player List And Auction Analysis (Photo: Instagram)

Their biggest signing was getting back all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer for a massive ₹23.75 crore after a fierce bidding war with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Venkatesh scored 1950s within the final and the first qualifier in IPL 2024 and is one of the most versatile batters in the match, who can also bowl medium pace.

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KKR’s next picks came from the wicketkeeper sets—South Africa’s Quinton de Kock for ₹3.60 crore and Rahmanullah Gurbaz for ₹2 crore. De Kock would be a possible replacement for Phil Salt, who became brilliant for KKR last year as a replacement player and was signed for ₹11.50 crore by RCB.

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Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2025 Squad: Full Player List And Auction Analysis

Gurbaz, meanwhile, replaced Salt at KKR within the playoffs while the latter had to leave for national duty and did brilliantly. He can again be a backup option and an X-factor opener, given his constant rise as Afghanistan’s first choice.

KKR also couldn’t sign Mitchell Starc, the player of the match in both playoffs last year. However, in a while, they signed South Africa’s pacer Anrich Nortje for ₹6.50 crore, who can play a similar role. On Monday, Australian left-arm brief Spencer Johnson, quite close in attributes to Starc, became their largest signing for ₹2.80 crore.

Angrkish Raghuvanshi, the teenage uncapped star who filled in for Nitish Rana with aplomb, even scoring a fifty on debut, became Sisodia, signed for ₹3 crore on Monday. KKR was also given back promising pacer Vaibhav Arora for ₹1.80 crore.

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The crew only wanted fillers and squad players on Tuesday, which they found in returnees like Manish Pandey, Anukul Roy, Rovman Powell, and Ajinkya Rahane and exciting newcomers like Moeen Ali, Umran Malik, Luvnith Sisodia, and Mayank Markande.