"He has already hit a hundred on this ground" - Aakash Chopra on KKR's potential targets in IPL 2026 auction

Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) might get Angkrish Raghuvanshi to keep wickets in IPL 2026. However, he reckoned that Jonny Bairstow could be a potential acquisition for the franchise, highlighting that the England wicketkeeper-batter has previously scored a blazing match-winning century at the Eden Gardens.

KKR released a plethora of players, including two overseas wicketkeeper-batters in Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. They have an available purse of ₹64.30 crore to buy at most 13 players, including six overseas, in the mini auction in Abu Dhabi on December 16.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener named Bairstow as one of the potential targets for KKR at the IPL 2026 auction, although he acknowledged that head coach Abhishek Nayar might be planning to get Raghuvanshi to keep wickets.

"All of us feel that they would need a wicketkeeper-batter, but maybe Angkrish Raghuvanshi is your wicketkeeper-batter. Abhishek Nayar went to the UP Warriorz and he is here with KKR. I feel Phoebe Litchfield will keep wickets for the UP Warriorz and I feel Angkrish Raghuvanshi will keep wickets here, unless things change radically," Chopra said. (1:25)

"However, they will still need a top-order batter because you have let Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz go. Among the few names I can understand, one is Jonny Bairstow. He has already hit a hundred on this ground when Punjab chased 262. He will like this pitch. He played very well in the few matches he played last year," he added.

Aakash Chopra named Jamie Smith, Quinton de Kock, Tim Seifert and Finn Allen as the other top-order batters the Kolkata Knight Riders could target at the IPL 2026 auction. However, he opined that Jonny Bairstow should be the frontrunner among them.

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"He is a proven IPL performer" - Aakash Chopra on KKR potentially repurchasing Venkatesh Iyer at the IPL 2026 auction

Venkatesh Iyer had an indifferent run for KKR in IPL 2025. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra opined that the Kolkata Knight Riders might reacquire Venkatesh Iyer for half his previous price at the IPL 2026 auction.

"Since both Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer are no longer there, you need something there. If they get Venkatesh Iyer for half the money, is it actually bad? Not at all, sir. Even though his recent form is not good and the last year wasn't good, he is a proven IPL performer. They might take Venkatesh Iyer back for ₹10-12 crore," he said. (3:05)

While observing that KKR potentially want to acquire Cameron Green, the cricketer-turned-commentator suggested a few seam bowlers the three-time IPL champions might be interested in.

"They need Cameron Green, but their batting becomes top-heavy by taking him. You need a little fast-bowling backup. (Matheesha) Pathirana will be available there. Anrich Nortje will be available again there. Lungi Ngidi, Gerald Coetzee and Jacob Duffy will also come there," Chopra observed.

To conclude, Aakash Chopra noted that the Kolkata Knight Riders don't have too many requirements despite releasing a plethora of players. He highlighted that the Kolkata-based franchise has 16 overs of bowling already ready, with two spinners in Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine, and as many seamers in Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora.