3 teams who should target Abhimanyu Easwaran in IPL 2026 Auction ft. Kolkata Knight Riders 

Domestic stalwart Abhimanyu Easwaran has been on the red-ball radar for quite a while, while his white-ball work largely remains unnoticed. Boasting an average of over 40 in both List A and T20 Cricket, the right-handed batter reminded everyone of his ability in the shorter forms of the game during the 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Easwaran smashed an unbeaten 130 runs off 66 deliveries during Bengal's run chase after Punjab scored a record 310-5. While the spotlight naturally leaned towards Abhishek Sharma's carnage in the first innings, the Bengal batter made a massive statement by scoring close to two-thirds of his team's total.

Coming into bat in the very first over, Easwaran took on a solid Punjab bowling unit, rifled with some quality spinners and all-rounders, who feature regularly in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In the end, he was only one of the two batters who recorded double figures, and his knock could not come at a better time amid the scouts' eagle eye ahead of the mini auction later this month.

On that note, let us take a look at three teams who should target Abhimanyu Easwaran in the IPL 2026 Auction.

#1 Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR are one of the franchises that are on the lookout for top-order batters after releasing both Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz ahead of the auction. Already having an Indian dominant batting set-up, adding another candidate can give them the luxury to go for overseas all-rounders and bowlers for their new-look squad.

One such bargain option, who has plenty of experience playing at the Eden Gardens and can hold the batting together, is Abhimanyu Easwaran. His familiarity with the venue could prove to be an underrated factor as KKR struggled to crack the code at home last season, winning just two out of seven matches.

While Easwaran may not have extensive T20 experience playing at the Eden Gardens in recent times, the sheer volume of cricket he has played at the iconic venue in the longer formats ideally should mean something.

Furthermore, KKR have tried to integrate players from their state in the past, but none of those signings have panned out. Going for Easwaran at the auction, and his potential success, could go on to be a game-changer for the franchise in having faith in local players going ahead.

#2 Royal Challengers Bengaluru

RCB have a power-packed top order, but there are no significant backups for them in their squad. When Devdutt Padikkal was ruled out of injury midway through the season, they had to bring in a domestic veteran in the form of Mayank Agarwal, a move that ultimately worked for them.

RCB can consider Abhimanyu Easwaran in a similar role, as a potential backup for the top three batters. Given that they do not have a massive purse, and their primary focus might be on their bowling reserves, the defending champions can look at the domestic veteran as a bargain option.

He can be the batter holding the innings together in a line-up full of explosive batters. The presence of such a solid batter can also allow Virat Kohli to play with flow instead of an anchor having to hold one end while others flourish.

#3 Gujarat Titans

The new-look GT's batting formula has been built on the solidity of their top order. With all three of Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler being technically sound and able to switch gears effortlessly, they have unsurprisingly scored the bulk of the runs.

Similar to RCB's plight, they lack backup options for the trio. Even if the squad has a backup, it will be far from a like-for-like replacement, as such profiles are a rare sight in modern-day T20 cricket. But Abhimanyu Easwaran ticks all of the boxes that GT desire for a backup to their openers, without taking too much of their already shriveled purse.

Technically solid and capable of playing the long innings by holding his end, Easwaran can slot in at the top for GT when needed. The fact that he is an Indian player also means that the team will not have to tweak their combination if they are forced to change their settled top-order.