4 bowlers KKR should retain ahead of the IPL 2026 auction ft. Harshit Rana

1 day ago 16

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.

BowlerTypePrice (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.