Aakash Chopra picks KKR retentions ahead of IPL 2027 auction; releases 2024 India debutant

Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra believes Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) should release Cameron Green, Ramandeep Singh, Matheesha Pathirana and Rachin Ravindra ahead of the IPL 2027 auction (via the Crex. Live Instagram handle). He also advised the franchise to retain Rovman Powell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Harshit Rana.

The four names he would move on from sit at very different points on the pay scale. Green cost ₹25.20 crore at the IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi, a record fee for an overseas player, from the ₹64.30 crore purse KKR built by releasing Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, Moeen Ali and Anrich Nortje. Pathirana went for ₹18 crore and Ravindra for his base price of ₹2 crore.

Ramandeep was already on the books at ₹4 crore from the retention list submitted in November 2025.

The returns were thin. Pathirana, signed as a death-overs specialist after four seasons with Chennai Super Kings, played only a solitary game in IPL 2026 and did not take a wicket. Ravindra never got on the field. Ramandeep, the 2024 India T20I debutant, was retained at ₹4 crore as a finisher, and his exit would send KKR looking for an Indian middle-order hitter.

The three Chopra would keep are cheaper and simpler to justify. Powell at ₹1.50 crore is the only member of the squad with international captaincy experience, having led West Indies in white-ball cricket, which matters more now that Ajinkya Rahane has retired from all cricket. Raghuvanshi, retained at ₹3 crore, was among the players credited with turning KKR's season around in the second half, and he kept wickets for Mumbai on the domestic circuit, giving the side an option with the gloves.

Harshit, at ₹4 crore, is the most straightforward call of the three. He is an India international seamer, and his injury was one of several that disrupted KKR's bowling plans, along with those of Akash Deep and Pathirana.

KKR's IPL 2026: five straight defeats, a late surge and a seventh-place finish

KKR lost their first five matches, and a washout left them winless after six outings. The recovery was sensational but all too late: six wins in their next eight kept the playoff hopes alive heading into the final week.

However, Rajasthan Royals' win over Mumbai Indians ended those hopes before KKR batted against Delhi Capitals, and the last league game finished as a 40-run defeat at Eden Gardens.

They finished seventh with 13 points from 14 matches, marking a second consecutive finish outside the top four after their 2024 title run.

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