MP Pappu Yadav Beams With Pride as Son Gets Picked by KKR in IPL Auction

Kolkata Knight Riders reshaped their squad at the IPL mini-auction in Abu Dhabi, signing 13 players for the 2026 season. The franchise made headlines with a record outlay on Cameron Green and also brought in Delhi batter Sarthak Ranjan, son of former MP and Congress leader Pappu Yadav, for Rs 30 lakh.

KKR entered the auction with the biggest purse of Rs 64.30 crore and used it aggressively. The franchise spent Rs 25.20 crore to secure Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, the highest buy of the event. By the end of the day, Kolkata Knight Riders had only Rs 45 lakh left in their purse.

Kolkata Knight Riders IPL auction focus on Cameron Green and overseas recruits

The Kolkata Knight Riders IPL auction strategy centred on star overseas names. Apart from Cameron Green, KKR invested Rs 18 crore in Sri Lanka pacer Matheesha Pathirana and Rs 9.20 crore in Bangladesh left-armer Mustafizur Rahman. The franchise also picked New Zealand players Finn Allen for Rs 2 crore and Rachin Ravindra for Rs 2 crore.

Wicketkeeping options were addressed during the Kolkata Knight Riders IPL auction with two signings. New Zealand keeper-batter Tim Seifert returned to the squad for Rs 1.50 crore. India batter Rahul Tripathi, who can also keep if needed, joined for Rs 75 lakh, giving the team a flexible top-order option with prior Kolkata experience.

Kolkata Knight Riders IPL auction domestic picks and full squad picture

Several Indian players were added in the Kolkata Knight Riders IPL auction to build depth. Tejasvi Singh cost Rs 3 crore, while Kartik Tyagi, Daksh Kamra, Sarthak Ranjan and Prashant Solanki were each bought for Rs 30 lakh. Fast bowler Akashdeep strengthened the pace group after signing for Rs 1 crore.

The core from previous seasons stayed intact for Kolkata Knight Riders after the IPL auction. Retained names included Ajinkya Rahane, Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Manish Pandey. Varun Chakravarthy, Ramandeep Singh, Ankul Roy, Rovman Powell, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora and Umran Malik also remained part of the squad.

Here is a breakdown of Kolkata Knight Riders business at the IPL auction:

The Kolkata Knight Riders IPL auction also featured an emotional angle through Sarthak Ranjan’s selection. Sarthak, who plays for Delhi in domestic cricket, joined the franchise for Rs 30 lakh. The signing drew attention because Sarthak is the son of former MP and Congress leader Pappu Yadav.

Pappu Yadav celebrated Sarthak’s move to the world’s most followed T20 league with a heartfelt message on X, formerly Twitter. Taking to social media, Pappu wrote, "Badhai ho betu! Jamkar khelo aur apne pratibha ke dum par apni pehchan banao. Apni chahat poori karo. Ab Sarthak ke naam pe banegi humari sarkaar.(Congratulations, dear child Play with all your heart On the strength of your talent Build your own identity Fulfill your desires! Now under the name of Sarthak Our identity will be made). बधाई बेटू जमकर खेलोअपने प्रतिभा के दम पर अपनी पहचान बनाओ अपनी चाहत पूरी करो!अब सार्थक के नाम से बनेगी हमारी पहचान! pic.twitter.com/s3gOGe72c2 — Pappu Yadav (@pappuyadavjapl) December 16, 2025"

On-field numbers for Sarthak Ranjan offer a snapshot of an early career. For Delhi, Sarthak has played 2 First-Class, 4 List-A and 5 T20 matches. The batter has 28 First-Class runs at an average of 9.33, 105 List-A runs at 26.25, and 66 T20 runs at an average of 13.20.

With Cameron Green’s record deal, strong overseas support and several Indian additions, the Kolkata Knight Riders IPL auction activity left the squad looking deeper in most departments. Retained names keep stability, while younger domestic players like Sarthak Ranjan now have a platform to push for roles during the 2026 season.