Kolkata Knight Riders walked out of the IPL 2026 auction with two headline buys — Cameron Green and Matheesha Pathirana — but the deeper you look, the more the squad feels unbalanced and unfinished.
KKR spent big, but not always smart. While the purse was used aggressively, the allocation of resources left key structural gaps in the batting order, particularly in the middle overs and finishing phase. This is a squad that has talent, but lacks cohesion and certainty.
Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert: High Variance Over Stability
KKR’s overseas batting choices reflect a preference for upside over assurance.
- Finn Allen is a high-variance opener. On his day, he can win games in the powerplay; on most others, he exposes the middle order far too early. KKR could instead have targeted Ben Duckett or Jonny Bairstow, both of whom offer intent and stability.
- Rachin Ravindra is a good cricketer and a sensible T20 pick, but once again, Duckett arguably fit KKR’s needs better as a left-handed top-order anchor who plays spin well in Indian conditions.
- Tim Seifert has improved as a T20 hitter and adds wicketkeeping value, but KKR needed experience and ballast, not another impact-only profile. Bairstow would have solved multiple problems in one go.
Collectively, the KKR picks leave them with too many maybes and not enough certainties.
Mustafizur Rahman: Big Money, Questionable Fit
The decision to spend heavily on Mustafizur Rahman raises serious questions.
At this stage of his career, Mustafizur is past his peak, and KKR already had:
- Matheesha Pathirana as a death-overs specialist
- Harshit Rana as a developing Indian quick
- Additional pace depth in the squad
Instead of doubling down on a similar skillset, KKR could have:
- Pushed harder for Liam Livingstone, who would have solved finishing and power-hitting issues
- Secured Cooper Connolly as a younger, flexible all-round option
The Mustafizur buy looks more like a name-driven decision than a needs-based one.
Cameron Green: The Middle-Order Puzzle That Won’t Go Away
Cameron Green is a quality cricketer — that’s not in doubt. The problem is where he fits.
If Green bats at in the top three, as hinted by Venky Mysore post-auction, the middle order lacks a dominant enforcer. There is no equivalent of a Klaasen (SRH), Tim David (RCB), Pooran (LSG) or Shreyas Iyer (PBKS). If Green is pushed down to No.5, the top order suddenly looks thin. Once again, this is where Bairstow or Duckett would have made a massive difference.
KKR have built a dangerous but flawed squad.
They will win games when things click early, but over a long season, the lack of a reliable middle-order anchor or finisher could hurt them badly. For all the money spent, this doesn’t feel like a squad that has maximised its resources.
Two big buys alone don’t make a great team, and IPL 2026 might prove that lesson the hard way for KKR.
