EXCLUSIVE | IPL 2026 mini auction: Robin Uthappa suggests England stars for THIS role at KKR
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "EXCLUSIVE | IPL 2026 mini auction: Robin Uthappa suggests England stars for THIS role at KKR")
IPL 2026 mini auction Robin Uthappa suggests England stars for THIS role at KKR Photograph: (Others)
With the highest remaining purse ahead of the mini auction, KKR are likely to chase several A-listers, including Cameron Green.
Two-time IPL winner with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Jiostar expert, Robin Uthappa, has dropped suggestions for his former franchise on whom to chase at the IPL 2026 mini auction on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi. Having played a key role as a wicket-keeper batter in KKR’s success during his time with the team, Uthappa understands the need for having a quality one at the top of the order. With the auction just around the corner, he suggested a handful of top English players who could fill in and get the job done.
The 2024 IPL winners have an almost settled squad at the helm, entering the IPL 2026 mini auction with the highest purse (INR 64.3 crore) and most slots to fill (13). Even though they have the uncapped Indian batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi in their ranks, bagging a foreigner like Tim Seifert, who just slammed his maiden BBL hundred on the auction day eve, or even England’s forgotten T20 hero Jonny Bairstow, could do a world of good to KKR.
“Given KKR’s current squad balance, they should prioritise a solid wicketkeeper-batter. I don’t think they could play Angkrish Raghuvanshi as a wicketkeeper-batter, but I think they would look to get either Jonny Bairstow, Tim Seifert, or Finn Allen as a wicketkeeping option. They could also go for Ben Duckett, who we have not seen keep wickets yet. Don’t know if he is going to keep or if he is going to keep wickets, but he could certainly be an option,” Uthappa said while speaking exclusively to WION.
While the idea of KKR chasing all-rounder Cameron Green is a no-brainer, given their urge to have Andre Russell’s like-for-like replacement, Uthappa also suggests that they go after pace bowling prodigy from Sri Lanka, Matheesha Pathirana.
“They should look at fast bowling options as well, with Matheesha Pathirana for sure, and they should also go for Cameron Green, that’s a no-brainer. These are the three picks I would look at, while I would also look to get two wicketkeeping batters with either Bairstow or Seifert,” he continued.
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Who should lead KKR in IPL 2026?
Amid a lack of leadership options at KKR, Uthappa feels the management is unlikely to tinker with that, further indicating that they are holding onto the core ahead of IPL 2026.
“I do think they will continue to lead with Ajinkya Rahane in the IPL 2026, and KKR will try to get the core from last season back. I think they will try to get Venkatesh Iyer back for a lower price, but if they can’t get him, they will focus on getting Cameron Green. They will also look to develop Rinku Singh as a leader for the future, but in the IPL 2026, I think Ajinkya will continue to lead. The senior core will revolve around Rahane, Sunil Narine and Rovman Powell,” he concluded.
Catch all the action from the IPL 2026 mini-auction, December 16, 2:30 PM onwards, LIVE on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network
