Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has named those five players Kolkata Knight Riders should retain ahead of IPL 2025. KKR is one of the most successful teams in the history of the Indian Premier League(IPL) having won the tournament for three times, lately in 2024 under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer. If KKR has to perform another great season, they will look to keep their core team for the next edition.
There are rumors that captain Shreyas Iyer might be leaving, and coach Chandrakant Pandit’s team could also make some unexpected choices. Andre Russell and Sunil Narine are now both over 30, and it seems likely that Harshit Rana will stay as an uncapped player. However, Harbhajan Singh has a different view.
In an exclusive conversation with Star Sports about potential retentions for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL, former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh shared his thoughts on the topic.
He further added, “KKR dominated the entire season, so it will be difficult for them to leave or retain anyone. But it’s a matter of retention, so you only have limited numbers that you can retain. If I want to see or if I have to choose my 6 players, which 6 players will be there for KKR? I think Shreyas Iyer will be there, Phil Salt will be there, Narine will be there, Andre Russell will be there.”
Harbhajan Singh mentioned Rinku Singh as well. Currently signed with KKR for only 55 lakh per season, Rinku is almost certain to be retained for around ₹14 crore. This would mark one of the biggest pay increases for a player.
Harbhajan Singh said, “Rinku Singh will be there. I will definitely want to see Rinku Singh. He should be the 5th player to be retained.”
Harbhajan Singh made an interesting point about his choice for KKR’s uncapped player. Many people thought he would pick Harshit Rana, but Harbhajan chose Ramandeep Singh instead. Although Ramandeep recently got called up for the T20I series against South Africa, Harshit Rana’s recent achievements make this choice open for discussion. Just today, Harshit Rana was added to India’s squad for the third Test against New Zealand in Mumbai, and he is also in the 18-man squad for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT).
“And if we talk about one more player, who is the last player to be retained? It could be Ramandeep Singh. He is an uncapped player. I think he should be retained. He played very well last year and I have seen his performance in domestic cricket this year as well. So I think this 6th player, Knight Rider, will be retained.,” asserted Harbhajan Singh.
