Aaron Finch, who is the only Australian to win the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title as captain, has suggested Kolkata Knight Riders to release Venkatesh Iyer and Andre Russell ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. 30-year-old Venkatesh, who has played two ODIs and nine T20Is as well for Team India in the 2021-22 season, was signed for Rs 23.75 crore by the Kolkata-based franchise in the IPL 2025 mega auction, but he failed to justify the price tag in the world’s richest franchise cricket league this year. Venkatesh played 11 matches for the Shah Rukh Khan-owned team in IPL 2025 and was only able to score a total of 142 runs.

On the other hand, Russell has been associated with KKR since 2014. The former West Indies all-rounder was retained for Rs 12 crore by the three-time champions ahead of the meg

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