(MENAFN- IANS) Mumbai, Nov 15 (IANS) Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have released superstar all-rounder Andre Russell, ending a long and decorated association with the franchise ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. Russell, who was with KKR for ₹12 crore, headlines a dramatic overhaul that sees the two-time champions part ways with nine players, including six overseas names and high-profile Indian performers.

Along with West Indies' Russell, KKR has also released Venkatesh Iyer (₹23.75 crore), Quinton de Kock (₹3.60 crore), Moeen Ali (₹2 crore), Anrich Nortje (₹6.50 crore), Spencer Johnson (₹2.80 crore), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (₹2 crore), Chetan Sakariya (₹75 lakh), and Luvnith Sisodia (₹30 lakh).

The franchise, a three-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champion, has further completed a trade, sending Mayank Markande (₹30 lakh) to the Mumbai Indians in exchange for left-arm pacer Arjun Tendulkar, who now joins the retained group at ₹30 lakh.

KKR's retained core for the 2026 season remains strong, anchored by Rinku Singh (₹13 crore), Varun Chakravarthy (₹12 crore), and veteran all-rounder Sunil Narine (₹12 crore). The side has also held on to all-rounder Harshit Rana (₹4 crore), Ramandeep Singh (₹4 crore), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (₹3 crore), Vaibhav Arora (₹1.80 crore), Rovman Powell (₹1.50 crore), Ajinkya Rahane (₹1.50 crore), Umran Malik (₹75 lakh), Manish Pandey (₹75 lakh), Anukul Roy (₹40 lakh) and Arjun Tendulkar (₹30 lakh).

With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) adding an additional ₹5 crore to each franchise's purse, KKR will enter the IPL 2026 auction with a sizeable ₹64.30 crore, giving them one of the strongest budgets to rebuild their squad.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) players retained and released list ahead of IPL 2026 auction:

Retained: Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Vaibhav Arora, Rovman Powell, Ajinkya Rahane, Umran Malik, Manish Pandey, Anukul Roy, Arjun Tendulkar

Released: Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, Moeen Ali, Anrich Nortje, Spencer Johnson, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Chetan Sakariya, Luvnith Sisodia.

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