Published: December 21, 2025 at 6:55 am
Will Andre Russell’s absence affect Kolkata Knight Riders’ plans in the 2026 IPL season? The franchise knows that the talismanic West Indian has been a key part of their campaign over the years and without him, life could be difficult. To compensate for his loss, Kolkata Knight Riders went out of their way and burnt their purse to acquire the services of Cameron Green. Will this move really pay off? Will Green be able to match Russell’s contribution for the team? These are questions which the franchise will grapple with in the coming days.
But for now, they are happy that the Australian is in their squad and they look ahead to some very green days ahead. Head coach Abhishek Nayar sounded positive about Green and said that the all-rounder has the ability to make a major contribution for the team.
“I can’t say how high we were willing to go for him, but we wanted to go all out. If we have the money, we spend it. There was no point in saving the money. The idea was to do whatever we could to get Green because he is a very important player for us. With Andre Russell gone, we need someone to take the franchise forward. So, we decided we must have Cameron Green,” Nayar said on TATA IPL Auction Review show.
How does the franchise plan to use Green’s services? What kind of a role does the team management envision for the Australian. Nayar is clear about it as he feels that Green can ‘solve different problems’ for them and only hopes that the plans fall in place for the team in the coming IPL season.
“We see Green batting in the top three. He is a player who can score 500 runs for us. That is why we were so desperate to get him. We know he has that ability. He has scored over 500 runs in the IPL before, so he can do well in the top order. He solves different problems for us. Over the past few years, our success came when our top three players scored more than 400 runs. The hope is that he can score big runs for us,” Nayar said.
Apart from Russell, Venkatesh Iyer too has been quite an asset for the Kolkata Knight Riders over the years. The franchise was desperate to buy him back but Royal Challengers Bangalore put a spoke in Knight Riders’ plans.
“Venkatesh Iyer has been a franchise player for us from the start. We tried to get him back. We felt other teams were saving money for different players, so we thought we could get him at a lower price. He is experienced and fits our setup, giving us flexibility. We tried, but RCB always seems to go after our players. This year they got him. Venkatesh has been phenomenal for us over the years, and I wish him all the best in his new IPL journey,” Nayar added.
Former legendary all-rounder Anil Kumble feels Knight Riders have done well in the IPL mini auction and getting New Zealander Rachin Ravindra at base price was a steal. Kumble believes the squad looks solid and that it is packed with some real power in the batting.
“KKR have done really well. Getting Rachin Ravindra at base price was smart. He is a quality player. He did not have a great season with CSK, but KKR is trying to replicate their winning season from a few years ago. They have Tim Seifert or Finn Allen to open the innings and keep wickets. Cameron Green will take the place of Andre Russell in the team. Russell was a master finisher, while Green prefers batting in the top three, but they will make it work. All in all, the squad of KKR is looking really solid and they have serious batting power in their squad,” Kumble said.
On the other hand, former India player Robin Uthappa said Matheesha Pathirana will have his task cut out at the Eden Gardens as bowling at the ground is ‘very tough for fast bowlers’.
“Pathirana needs something special. His form has been poor for 12 to 18 months, and he’s working to get back to his best before the World Cup. Injury and a change in action have affected him, like we’ve seen with other fast bowlers. But we know his potential. His unique strength was his old, more side-on action. If he can return to that, he’ll be more effective. It will take a lot of work on his biomechanics. I heard he’s been working with Lasith Malinga recently, which is great for him and KKR. Bowling at Eden Gardens is very tough for fast bowlers.”
