5 Players KKR Should Target in the IPL 2026 Auction ft. Conway
Kolkata Knight Riders will enter the IPL 2026 mini auction after a poor season in 2025. The team, which won the title in 2024, finished 8th last year with only five wins in 14 matches. Their move to release former captain Shreyas Iyer and make Ajinkya Rahane the new captain did not work well. Many players, including Venkatesh Iyer, could not perform as expected.
KKR have kept most of their main players but have released their top all-rounder Andre Russell. With the mini auction set for December 13–15, the team will try to rebuild the squad.. As the auction approaches, here are five players who could join KKR for the 2026 season.
Luke Wood
Luke Wood is a Left-arm fast bowler and he could be a good pick for KKR in IPL 2026. He can replace Spencer Johnson, who did not have a good season last year. Wood has a lot of T20 experience, with 210 wickets in 199 matches and an economy of 8.42. He can swing the ball both ways, which gives the bowling attack more variety.
He has also played in many leagues like the PSL, ILT20, and BBL. Wood has played in the IPL before for Mumbai Indians in 2024, where he took one wicket.
Tom Banton
Tom Banton was once seen as England’s next big white-ball star. He could also be a strong option for KKR in the upcoming auction. Since 2024, Banton has been batting with a high strike rate. He plays spin well and can also keep wickets, making him useful in T20 cricket. He has scored over 4,700 runs in 193 T20 matches with a strike rate of 143.74. His recent form in leagues like the ILT20 and Vitality Blast makes him a good fit for KKR.
KKR may release Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Quinton de Kock before the IPL 2026 mini auction, so Banton could be a helpful replacement. He has also played for KKR earlier in 2020–21, where he played two matches and scored 18 runs.
Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw could be a strong pick for KKR in the IPL 2026 auction. He went unsold in 2025 but has come back well with a century on his Maharashtra debut in the Buchi Babu Tournament and another hundred in domestic cricket. His fast starts and attacking shots can help KKR solve their top-order problems.
In IPL 2025, openers Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz did not do well, so the team had to depend on the middle order. With Ajinkya Rahane’s future not clear, KKR may look for a new Indian opener, and Shaw fits this role. He has scored 1,892 IPL runs with a strike rate of more than 147.
Cameron Green
KKR may try to sign Australian all-rounder Cameron Green in the IPL 2026 auction. After a weak 2025 season and with Andre Russell close to the end of his career, Green looks like a good long-term option.
If KKR release costly players like Venkatesh Iyer and Anrich Nortje, they can free up nearly INR 30 crore. This gives them enough budget to go strong for Green. He has played for RCB and MI, scoring 707 runs and taking 16 wickets in 29 matches.
Devon Conway
Devon Conway had a slow season for Chennai Super Kings. He scored 94 runs in four matches with a strike rate of 123.68. He hit 9 fours and 2 sixes as an opener but did not get many chances. CSK may release him because they might want to build a stronger Indian top order and look for a more attacking opener. With fewer chances and a change in plans, Conway could be available in the IPL 2026 auction.
