As the new season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) approaches, kicking off on March 28, only the first 20 matches have been scheduled due to state elections. In a surprising move, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) parted ways with players Shreyas Iyer and Phil Salt. Anil Kumble, a former cricketer for Team India, believes this decision was a mistake for the franchise.
“Just two years ago, KKR secured their third IPL title, with Iyer and Salt playing pivotal roles in that success. Their departure is a significant loss for the team,” Kumble expressed.
He further elaborated on why releasing these players could hurt KKR’s chances this season.
“Consistency in player retention is crucial, and letting go of Shreyas Iyer and Phil Salt means they lack a proven IPL-winning captain. While Ajinkya Rahane brings experience from his stints with Mumbai and Rajasthan, he has yet to lift the IPL trophy as a captain,” Kumble noted.
“Having a captain who has experienced winning the tournament offers a competitive edge, and KKR has relinquished that advantage. They must prioritize keeping their key players to avoid ongoing struggles and re-establish themselves as title contenders,” he added.
The IPL 2026 kicks off with a face-off between the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. KKR will begin their campaign against the Mumbai Indians (MI) on March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
**IPL 2026, Kolkata Knight Riders: Full Squad**
Ajinkya Rahane (C), Manish Pandey, Sunil Narine, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert (WK), Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sarthak Ranjan, Finn Allen (WK), Rachin Ravindra, Cameron Green, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kartik Tyagi, Blessing Muzarabani, Akash Deep, Prashant Solanki, Matheesha Pathirana, Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Harshit Rana, Tejasvi Singh (WK), Daksh Kamra.