The IPL 2026 mini-auction is scheduled to take place after the December-January player trade window and will begin in the early months of 2026 as per reports. The IPL 2025 season witnessed numerous legendary players taking command of their respective teams and dominating the opponents with their unmatched exploits on the field. Additionally, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) finally lifted the prestigious IPL trophy after years of heartbreaking defeats. While the majority of IPL franchises and their path-breaking lineup of players undoubtedly gave their blood and sweat to lead their teams to the prestigious triumph, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) witnessed a hard season as they failed to qualify for the playoffs. Therefore, the franchise might release a few players in order to on-board KL Rahul, who is often hailed as one of the most seasoned players of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
In this article we will take a look at the top four players who might get released from the KKR franchise in order to make way for KL Rahul.
Top 4 Potential Releases by KKR to Secure KL Rahul Ahead of IPL 2026 Auction
Ajinkya Rahane
The 37-year-old Indian professional cricketer Ajinkya Rahane, who was appointed as the skipper of the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise in the IPL 2025 season, is at the first spot in our list of the top four players who might be released by the KKR franchise to sign KL Rahul ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. Although Ajinkya Rahane was anticipated to lead the KKR franchise to a phenomenal streak of victories, he ended up disappointing the fans to an unparalleled extent and the franchise failed to qualify for the playoffs and was eliminated at the eighth spot, leaving the fans heartbroken. Therefore, the selectors might release Rahane and on-board KL Rahul ahead of the IPL 2026 season.
Venkatesh Iyer
At the second spot in our list of the top four players who might get released from the KKR franchise in order to make way for KL Rahul, we have the trailblazing Indian professional cricketer Venkatesh Iyer, who plays for Madhya Pradesh in domestic cricket, and Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Although fans anticipated Venkatesh Iyer to display a dominating streak of innings throughout the IPL 2025 season, he turned out to be a major disappointment and ended up scoring only 142 runs in 11 matches at an average of 20.29, putting him at a risk of being released from the KKR squad ahead of the IPL 2026 season.
Spencer Johnson
Next, at the third spot in our list of the top four players who might be released by the KKR franchise to sign KL Rahul ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, we have Australian international cricketer Spencer Johnson. The 29-year-old Australian bowling sensation, Spencer Johnson, was onboarded by the KKR franchise for a staggering INR 2.2 crore and was anticipated to be one of the most destructive bowlers for the opponent teams throughout the IPL 2025 season, but turned out to be one of the most shocking disappointments for the franchise owing to his underwhelming performance.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Finally, at the fourth spot in our list of the top four players who might get released from the KKR franchise in order to make way for KL Rahul, we have the Afghan international cricketer Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who made his international debut for Afghanistan in September 2019 and has been a mainstay of the Afghanistan national cricket team ever since. Rahmanullah Gurbaz played a total of five matches in the IPL 2025 season and failed to meet the expectations of the selectors as well as the fans to a major extent. Therefore, the selectors of the KKR franchise might make the bold move of replacing Rahmanullah Gurbaz with KL Rahul ahead of the IPL 2026 season.
