Although KKR finished 8th, three of their bowlers took 15 or more wickets in IPL 2025.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were expectedly poor in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The reigning champions had released their captain, Shreyas Iyer, and appointed Ajinkya Rahane as his replacement. But that wasn’t all. Phil Salt was also one of the players KKR let go. The auction didn’t go as planned, and therefore, the 2-time IPL winners struggled.
While batting was a concern, KKR’s bowling wasn’t. Their two frontline pacers claimed 32 wickets, and the spin twins got 29 scalps. That’s why KKR won’t have a tough time deciding who to retain.
4 bowlers KKR should retain for IPL 2026
The first bowler KKR will retain is Varun Chakaravarthy. The mystery spinner was their highest wicket-taker last season and the best spinner of IPL 2025. At the moment, Varun is also the highest-ranked international spinner in the world.
Harshit Rana wasn’t at his best last season but still managed to pick up 15 wickets. He’s become a mainstay in India’s white-ball setup and has improved as a bowler in the last few months. Harshit’s an all-phase bowler who’s got pace, bounce, and variations like cutters.
| Bowler | Type | Price (INR) | IPL 2025 stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Varun Chakaravarthy | Mystery spinner |
12.00 crore | 17 wickets at 22.52 & economy of 7.66 |
| Harshit Rana | Right-arm hit-the-deck pacer |
4.00 crore | 15 wickets at 29.86 & economy of 10.18 |
| Vaibhav Arora | Right-arm swing pacer |
1.80 crore | 17 wickets at 25.29 & economy of 10.11 |
| Anrich Nortje | Right-arm fast pacer |
6.50 crore | 1 wicket at 83.00 & economy of 11.85 |
Vaibhav Arora is one of the best powerplay pacers and swings the ball both ways. He has started to bowl in the middle and death overs as well, but Vaibhav remains at his best with the new ball. Apart from him, KKR don’t really have good powerplay bowlers.
Anrich Nortje hasn’t been at his best for the last couple of years. Since his injury, Nortje hasn’t regained his pace. But in the CSA Domestic Challenge 2025-26, he has been going well. In 3 matches for Dolphins, Nortje has 7 wickets at 9.42. Yes, INR 6.50 crore is a bit pricey, but at his best, Nortje is worth the money.
KKR squad (bowlers) ahead of IPL 2026 auction
Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Harshit Rana, Mayank Markande, Shivam Shukla, Spencer Johnson, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, Umran Malik
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