3 reasons why KKR must not sign Cameron Green at IPL 2026 Auction

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) made their intentions of a mini-overhaul clear with their retentions and releases ahead of the IPL 2026 auction next month. The three-time champions let go of as many as nine players, leaving them with a league-high purse of ₹64.30 crore.

KKR also released six overseas cricketers, leaving them plenty to do at the auction, in their bid to bounce back from a tumultuous IPL 2025 season. After their sensational title run last year, the franchise had a massive fall in their title defense, finishing eighth on the points table.

Given the huge purse entering the bidding war, most pundits and fans have already made it a foregone conclusion that Australian all-rounder Cameron Green will be KKR's in a month. After missing IPL 2025 with an injury, the 26-year-old has made an excellent return in the shortest format for Australia.

Green has averaged 43 at a strike rate of over 168 in five T20Is this year, while also resuming his bowling duties in the ongoing first Ashes Test.

Yet, even as all signs point to a KKR-Green association, here are three key reasons why the franchise must not sign the Australian all-rounder at the IPL 2026 auction.

#1 Green is unlikely to fix KKR's biggest Achilles heel from last season

As enticing an option as Cameron Green may be as a package in isolation, his fit for what KKR desperately needs is questionable. Even with a likely hit-and-miss in Sunil Narine, the side boasts a potentially impressive top order for IPL 2026 with Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi alongside him.

It was KKR's middle and lower middle-order that left them for dead last season, with Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, and Ramandeep Singh struggling to make an impact.

While Rinku averaged 29.42, Venkatesh and Russell averaged under 21, as KKR struggled to conquer the post-powerplay phases. Meanwhile, Green has enjoyed most of his T20 success at the top of the order, a place KKR seemingly has the least to worry about.

In his 28 previous innings in the IPL, the Aussie right-hander has batted in the top three half those times. Green has batted at Nos. 6 and 7 for a combined six innings, scoring 28 runs at an underwhelming strike rate of 127.

Even for Australia, he has struggled at the two positions in his three T20I innings with an average of 14 and a strike rate of 90.32.

Thus, Green may not be the ideal solution to KKR's finishing issues from last season.

#2 KKR cannot fall into the 'All the eggs in one basket' trap again

Most of the talk after the IPL 2025 auction was KKR going all-in on batting all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer for a whopping ₹23.75 crore. While acquiring a relatively proven middle-order batter cum all-rounder appeared valuable on paper, it left the franchise with far too many other holes to mask.

The huge price tag also seemingly placed an unfair weight of expectations on Iyer, and the result was a dismal IPL 2025 season with only 142 runs in 14 games. Needless to say, Cameron Green is almost certain to be the prized commodity of the upcoming auction.

The assurance of boasting the highest purse could lure KKR to yet again go overboard for another all-rounder, this time Green. Lest we forget, the franchise also has the most number of slots to fill, overall and overseas, and spreading the wealth remains paramount.

If KKR can learn anything from the 2025 IPL, it is what they did before the season in the auction and its potential ripple effect during the season with the Venkatesh Iyer acquisition.

#3 KKR's overseas conundrum makes Cameron Green dispensable

KKR's overseas releases from the last two years have left them in desperate need of one for three positions, least suited to Cameron Green's forte. The franchise released both their overseas wicketkeepers, Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, ahead of the upcoming auction.

With no bona fide Indian gloveman available, KKR will almost assuredly have to go for a foreign option at the auction. Furthermore, the release of Andre Russell also forces them to look for a like-for-like finishing overseas option, namely Glenn Maxwell or Liam Livingstone.

While Rovman Powell is capable of filling the role, KKR might look for a more sure-starter overseas option that also provides bowling at the position. Lastly, with the calamitous Mitchell Starc release last year, coupled with the recent releases of Anrich Nortje and Spencer Johnson, the 2024 champions absolutely require a proven overseas pacer, given the limited Indian internationals available for the same at the auction.

With Sunil Narine a sure-starter and each of the above three positions almost certainly having to be filled by pedigreed overseas cricketers, Cameron Green's package as one of the four overseas starters may be dispensable.