Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) made headlines on Day 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction by acquiring the services of Venkatesh Iyer for a whopping ₹23.75 crore. In the process, Venkatesh became the third most-expensive player in IPL history. Among their notable picks on Day 2, KKR roped in Umran Malik and Australian Spencer Johnson, thus strengthening their fast bowling attack with more pace.
The three-time champions have also got back Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Vaibhav Arora, getting most of their core back from the previous season. Among other notable buys for KKR were South African duo of Anrich Nortje and Quinton de Kock. If things go well, Venkatesh could might be handed the captain's hat in IPL 2025.
One of the three most successful franchises in IPL, KKR's title-winning seasons have all been associated with Gautam Gambhir. The former India opener led the Shah Rukh Khan co-owned franchise to IPL titles in 2012 and 2014 before returning as a mentor in 2024 to guide the side to ultimate glory.
However, India head coach's job calling, Gambhir was replaced by former West Indies cricketer Dwayne Bravo earlier this year. The three-time champions have retained six players including the West Indies duo of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine.
Varun Chakravarthy and Rinku Singh were among the capped Indian retainers while the Harshit Rana and Ramandeep Singh were uncapped when retained. Both Rana and Ramandeep made their India debuts earlier this month.
Venkatesh Iyer ( ₹23.75 crore), Quinton de Kock ( ₹3.60 crore), Rahmanullah Gurbaz ( ₹2 crore), Anrich Nortje ( ₹6.50 crore), Angkrish Raghuvanshi ( ₹3 crore), Vaibhav Arora ( ₹1.80 crore), Mayank Markande ( ₹30 lakh), Rovman Powell ( ₹1.50 crore), Manish Pandey ( ₹75 lakh), Spencer Johnson ( ₹2.80 crore), Luvnith Sisodia ( ₹30 lakh), Ajinkya Rahane ( ₹1.50 lakh), Anukul Roy ( ₹40 lakh), Moeen Ali ( ₹2 crore), Umran Malik ( ₹75 lakh).
Rinku Singh ( ₹13 crore), Varun Chakaravarthy ( ₹12 crore), Sunil Narine ( ₹12 crore), Andre Russell ( ₹11 crore), Harshit Rana ( ₹4 crore) and Ramandeep Singh ( ₹4 crore).
Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Anrich Nortje, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markande, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Spencer Johnson, Luvnith Sisodia, Ajinkya Rahane, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, Umran Malik.
