NEW DELHI: Three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders made the biggest statement at the IPL players’ auction 2026 on Tuesday, shelling out a record Rs 25.20 crore to secure Australian all-rounder Cameron Green and spending another Rs 18 crore to bring in Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana.
Green’s signing saw him overtake compatriot Mitchell Starc, who was bought for Rs 24.75 crore, to become the most expensive overseas player in IPL auction history. The hefty price tag came after an intense bidding battle between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings, with KKR eventually prevailing.
KKR also showed interest in retaining India all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer but pulled out of the contest as Royal Challengers Bengaluru stepped in to acquire the former KKR star for Rs 7 crore.
The three-time champions later re-entered the spotlight during the bidding for Pathirana. After Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants bowed out following a fierce contest, KKR clinched the Sri Lankan pacer, who entered the auction at a base price of Rs 2 crore and went on to become the costliest Sri Lankan ever sold at an IPL auction.
Despite the headline figure of Rs 25.20 crore, Green’s take-home pay for the season will be capped at Rs 18 crore (USD 1.9 million), with the remaining amount set to be allocated to the BCCI’s player development programme in accordance with auction rules for overseas players. Pathirana, however, will receive the full sum as his contract falls within the salary cap.
Green, who has previously represented Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, has featured in 29 IPL matches to date, scoring 707 runs and claiming 16 wickets.
Kolkata Knight Riders Full Team List IPL 2026
Players retained: Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy
Players bought at auction: Cameron Green (Rs 25.20 crore), Finn Allen (Rs 2 crore), Matheesha Pathirana (Rs 18 crore), Tejasvi Singh Dahiya (Rs 3 crore), Kartik Tyagi (Rs 30 lakh), Prashant Solanki (Rs 30 lakh), Tim Seifert (Rs. 1.50 crore), Mustafizur Rahman (Rs 9.20 crore), Daksh Kamra (Rs 30 lakh), Sarthak Ranjan (Rs 30 lakh), Rahul Tripathi (Rs 75 lakh), Akash Deep (Rs 1 crore), Rachin Ravindra (Rs 2 crore)
Full squad:Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Matheesha Pathirana, Tejasvi Singh, Kartik Tyagi, Prashant Solanki, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Mustafizur Rahman, Sarthak Ranjan, Daksh Kamra, Rachin Ravindra, Akash Deep.