Having entered the 2025 season as the defending champions, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had a dismal IPL season, ranking a poor eighth on the points table. The decline from the top was marked by a sudden dip in batting performance-one of the team’s biggest issues throughout the season.
KKR had the second-worst strike rate of the tournament (143.29), a shade better than Chennai Super Kings (139.04), and scored the lowest number of boundaries by any team. With the mini-auction for IPL 2026 being near, the Knight Riders are likely to re-evaluate their team composition, with more in the lower-middle order.
Among the ones likely to get the boot are the Indian pair Rinku Singh and Ramandeep Singh, who did not perform as well in IPL 2025. Why they feature on the release list is explained below.
Rinku Singh
Once hailed as KKR’s ‘Trusted Finisher’, Rinku Singh has registered a precipitous fall in form since his career-best season of 2023. Then, the left-handed batsman set the tournament aflame with 474 runs at an impressive average of 59.25, infamously belting five successive sixes off the last over to achieve a memorable victory over Gujarat Titans. Ever since, though, he has failed to recreate that kind of magic.
Rinku fared only 206 runs in 13 games in IPL 2025, scoring 29.42 on average with a top score of 38. Though his strike rate increased marginally, his overall performance at the crease was quite negligible. The dip extended to international cricket as well. He scored merely 39 at a strike rate of 121.87 during the T20I series against England earlier this year.
With his form low and match-winning credentials in doubt, KKR might now seek more dependable options at the finisher’s position.
Ramandeep Singh
Ramandeep Singh entered IPL 2025 with some hope after a fair 2024 campaign. The all-rounder did not, though, have anything worth mentioning to offer this season. Though he played in seven matches, he was hardly given a chance to bowl and managed only 47 runs in seven innings, scoring at an average of only 9.40.
His strike rate of 134.28 was little comfort, particularly as KKR struggled to build momentum with the bat. On the plus side, Ramandeep did impress in the field – his three catches in Punjab Kings were instrumental in KKR’s record-breaking defense of the lowest total in IPL history. But otherwise, he was unable to stake a claim in the side.
With his reduced role and poor outing, the Knight Riders could release the 27-year-old as they seek to revamp their lower-middle order.
A Rebuilding Opportunity Ahead of IPL 2026
This would be the golden opportunity for KKR to retool their lower order, as there may be a mini-auction with some established power-hitters available in that pool. Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, and Glenn Phillips are expected to be available if their current teams are willing to release them. Promising Indian talents such as Swastik Chikara and Shahrukh Khan will also be in demand.
For a side that wishes to recover from last season’s underwhelming title defense, rejuvenating the batting lineup, especially the finishers, will be the priority. And perhaps that comes at the expense of retaining the services of Rinku and Ramandeep in favor of a better, more consistent core.
