Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) stands ready to make their comeback in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season in order to secure their fourth championship success. The team won its 2024 season against Sunrisers Hyderabad – so, now, they have built their lineup with significant player acquisitions and strategic retention decisions. Based on their combination of established players and budding talent, with the KKR squad 2025, they created a strong basis to aim for another championship.
IPL 2025 KKR Team Players List
| Retained Players | Players Bought in IPL 2025 Auction |
| Rinku Singh | Venkatesh Iyer (23.75 crore INR) |
| Varun Chakravarthy | Quinton de Kock (3.60 crore INR) |
| Sunil Narine | Rahmanullah Gurbaz (2 crore INR) |
| Andre Russell | Anrich Nortje (6.5 crore INR) |
| Harshit Rana | Angkrish Raghuvanshi (3 crore INR) |
| Ramandeep Singh | Vaibhav Arora (1.80 crore INR) |
| Mayank Markande (30 lakh INR) | |
| Rovman Powell (1.50 crore INR) | |
| Manish Pandey (75 lakh INR) | |
| Spencer Johnson (2.80 crore INR) | |
| Luvnith Sisodia (30 Lakh INR) | |
| Ajinkya Rahane (1.5 Crore INR) | |
| Anukul Roy (40 Lakh INR) | |
| Moeen Ali (2 Crore INR) | |
| Umran Malik (75 Lakh INR) |
KKR Squad 2025: Retentions and Shocking Captaincy Change
Surprisingly, Shreyas Iyer, the captain who led them to glory in 2024, was not retained. Instead, KKR chose to hold on to six key players:
- Rinku Singh – ₹13 crore
- Varun Chakravarthy – ₹12 crore
- Sunil Narine – ₹12 crore
- Andre Russell – ₹12 crore
- Harshit Rana – ₹4 crore
- Ramandeep Singh – ₹4 crore
The auction resulted in a large ₹51 crore budget that the KKR squad 2025 received to employ an aggressive strategy in the player auction.
After Iyer left, the KKR squad entrusted the captaincy duties to the experienced campaigner Ajinkya Rahane. The game experience and peaceful leadership style of KKR’s new captain Ajinkya Rahane may stabilize the team structure and lead them to defend the IPL championship.
Auction Highlights and Strategic Buys
Venkatesh Iyer stole the show as the primary news during IPL auctions after his comeback. By paying ₹23.75 crore, KKR struck a deal to repurchase Venkatesh Iyer becoming the most expensive IPL acquisition to date. The KKR squad 2025 will function through Venkatesh Iyer because of his capability to excel in batting and bowling.
KKR didn’t stop there. They added:
- Quinton de Kock (₹3.6 crore): Hard-hitting opener and wicketkeeper
- Anrich Nortje (₹6.5 crore): South African pace machine
- Vaibhav Arora: Retained to strengthen the pace unit
- Mayank Markande: Bolsters the spin unit
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Angkrish Raghuvanshi: Young guns primed to fire
Team mentor Dwayne Bravo said, “We wanted players who supplement our retained core. Recruiting 90% of our championship team back was a priority.”
KKR Squad 2025: Balanced for All Conditions
The new KKR squad 2025 is well-balanced in terms of firepower and flexibility. With Rinku Singh mopping up matches, Russell and Narine adding their signature power, and Quinton de Kock and Venkatesh Iyer’s inclusion, the batting line-up appears menacing.
On the bowling side, the speed of Nortje and Arora is supported by the spin combination of Chakravarthy and Narine. This combination provides KKR with the option to respond to various conditions of the pitch—either at home in Eden Gardens or on challenging away pitches.
Kolkata Knight Riders’ Performance So Far
One of KKR’s most notable matches thus far was their May 4 match at Eden Gardens, right up against Rajasthan Royals. Check out the highlights:
Kolkata Knight Riders won the match by a very narrow margin of 1 run.
- Kolkata Knight Riders made 206 runs in 20 overs for the loss of 4 wickets.
- Andre Russell was the top scorer with the bat. He made 57 runs in 25 balls, then, of course, was awarded the Player of the Match.
- Angkrish Raghuvanshi played an important role for the KKR squad 2025 with 44 runs.
- Varun Chakaravarthy and Harshit Rana picked 2 wickets each for Kolkata Knight Riders.
The Kolkota Knight Riders showed no mercy, eventually managing that vital game win, with the hopes of making it to IPL 2025 playoffs. Don’t forget to access your 12BET login daily for the best cricket betting odds for KKR!
Will KKR Make It To IPL 2025 Playoffs?
The KKR squad 2025 this year is the perfect recipe that includes explosive talent and intelligent strategy. With tried performers, shrewd acquisitions, and ambitious choices, KKR appear set to launch another title bid. As a long-standing fan or a punting aficionado, today is the ideal time to support KKR on websites such as 12BET India, where each game presents new opportunities to win large.
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