Former India opener Aakash Chopra has noted that the Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) releases ahead of the IPL 2026 auction show that loyalty is no longer given importance in the Indian Premier League. He highlighted that the three-time champions have released a plethora of players, including the immensely trusted Andre Russell.

KKR released nine players apart from trading Mayank Markande to the Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. They have a huge remaining purse of ₹64.30 crore heading into the mini-auction.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra,’ the former KKR player noted that the franchise’s releases, including Russell, reflect the changing dynamics in the IPL.

“Kolkata have said they would change everything. They have released six overseas players. Loyalty used to be royalty earlier. Now loyalty is nothing. Now unemotional trades are the new thing. There was an era when Andre Russell had tweeted that he would always be a knight till he plays the IPL. Then Venky Mysore said he would always be a knight, but he is no longer a knight,” he said. (1:20)

Chopra opined that Russell still has something to offer and that the all-rounder wasn’t utilized effectively by KKR in the last couple of seasons.

“Is he done yet completely? No, you didn’t get him to bat much last time. He scored 167 runs in 110-odd balls. He scored runs the year before that as well. He didn’t get to play too many balls and didn’t get to bowl much. He had a limited role,” he observed.

Andre Russell smashed 167 runs at a strike rate of 163.72 in 10 innings in IPL 2025. He picked up eight wickets at an economy rate of 11.94 in the 18.1 overs he bowled in this year’s edition of the prestigious league.

“Maybe they have made up their mind that they need Cameron Green” – Aakash Chopra on KKR’s requirements heading into IPL 2026 auction

In the same video, Aakash Chopra opined that KKR might have decided to target Cameron Green at the auction, highlighting that they can spend an exorbitant amount to acquire the Australian all-rounder.

“Maybe they have made up their mind that they need Cameron Green. You can spend ₹25 crore because ₹40 crore will still be left even after spending ₹25 crore. So you don’t have any concern till ₹25 crore. At least one player they put their finger on will be theirs, and it’s possible that two players they put their finger on could be theirs,” he said. (2:20)

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that KKR would also need a wicketkeeper who can open the batting.

“Who can be the second? I am thinking about Cameron Green as one because an all-rounder is required. Second, I think they need a wicketkeeper opening batter because they don’t have a wicketkeeper at all. It could be Tim Seifert, Jonny Bairstow or Jamie Smith, or anyone else they might have thought about. They can get whoever they want,” Chopra observed.

Aakash Chopra opined that the Kolkata Knight Riders could consider repurchasing Venkatesh Iyer at the auction. He added that the Kolkata-based franchise would also need an overseas fast bowler to complement Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, and potentially Cameron Green in the bowling attack.