Reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) focused on retaining the core of their successful squad. They achieved this by re-signing key players, including a marquee acquisition of Venkatesh Iyer for Rs 23.75 crore.
However, their attempt to retain Nitish Rana fell short, prompting the inclusion of experienced middle-order batters Manish Pandey and Ajinkya Rahane as replacements.
