Team India’s former batting coach Sanjay Bangar said that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) may change their team’s strategy before the IPL 2026 season. The cricketer-turned-commentator said that young Angkrish Raghuvanshi could be asked to do wicketkeeping, which would give the franchise more flexibility in its lineup.
Before the IPL 2026 auction, Kolkata Knight Riders have made major changes in their team. They released several players, including both of their overseas wicketkeeper-batsmen, Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz. The three-time IPL champions retained only 12 players and are left with a purse of ₹64.30 crore.
KKR now has the resources to rebuild almost half of its squad. They can sign 13 players, including six foreigners, in the mini auction in Abu Dhabi on December 16. The team has a lot of space to balance the team.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi will dominate – Sanjay Bangar’s prediction on KKR
During a conversation on Star Sports, Sanjay Bangar said that Kolkata Knight Riders are likely to continue with Ajinkya Rahane as their captain and top-order batsman for IPL 2026. He said the auction is not expected to yield any strong leadership option.
“Rahane starts at the top of the order and he will continue to lead the team as I don’t see any other candidate for captaincy in the auction,” Bangar said.
“They would definitely like to consider continuing with Ajinkya Rahane. Raghuvanshi, I believe, will also keep the gloves. So, apart from his batting, they will make him a wicketkeeper-batsman,” he said.
Rovman Powell clearly comes in as a finisher – Sanjay Bangar
Sanjay Bangar also shared that Rovman Powell can play the role of a powerful finisher given his big hitting style. Bangar further said that Ramandeep Singh and Vaibhav Arora can serve as impact players depending on the situation.
“Powell, I think he clearly fits the role of a finisher. He has that ability, an Andre Russell-like role. I see him fitting in quite well. Ramandeep and Vaibhav can be your impact players,” Bangar said.
I don’t really think so – Sanjay Bangar on Cameron Green
In the same conversation, the former Indian all-rounder said that Cameron Green is unlikely to be KKR’s main target for the No. 4 role in the upcoming IPL 2026 auction. Bangar said that the franchise will focus on getting Venkatesh Iyer back.
“At the moment, I don’t really think so because I believe they would like to buy Venkatesh Iyer back. Even though they bought him last season at a very high valuation, they have a lot of confidence in Venkatesh. In my view, he will be at No. 4,” he said.
Bangar also said that Rinku Singh could be used a little higher in the batting order next season. He questioned whether Cameron Green has performed enough in the IPL to become a major target for KKR.
Bangar believes that KKR will aim to bring in a quality overseas fast bowler. He said that Sri Lankan fast bowler Mathisha Pathirana is a perfect fit for this and his addition will greatly strengthen and diversify the team’s pace attack.
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