Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Abhishek Nayar has explained the thinking behind KKR’s record-breaking Rs 25.20 crore bid for Australian all-rounder Cameron Green at the IPL 2025 auction. With Andre Russell stepping back from his playing role to become the franchise’s power coach, Nayar said KKR needed someone who could “take the franchise forward” and deliver 500 runs in a season batting in the top three. Green became the most expensive overseas signing in IPL history and the third-most expensive player overall at the auction held in Abu Dhabi.

Why KKR went all out for Cameron Green

Speaking on ‘TATA IPL Auction Review’, Nayar made it clear that KKR were ready to spend whatever it took to secure Green. He said,

“I cannot say how high we were willing to go for him, but we wanted to go all out. If we have the money, we spend it. There was no point in saving the money. The goal was to do whatever we could to secure Green, as he is a key player for us. With Andre Russell gone, we need someone to take the franchise forward. So, we decided we must have Cameron Green.”

Nayar revealed that KKR see Green as a top-order batter who can score big runs and solve multiple problems for the team. He added,

“We see Cameron Green batting in the top three. He is a player who can score 500 runs for us. That is why we were so desperate to get him. We know he has that ability. He has scored over 500 runs in the IPL before, so he can do well in the top order. He solves different problems for us.”

Following the successful 2024 formula

Nayar pointed to KKR’s title-winning 2024 season under Shreyas Iyer as the blueprint for their strategy with Green. In that campaign, openers Sunil Narine scored 488 runs and Phil Salt made 438 runs, giving KKR a strong foundation in the powerplay and middle overs. Nayar explained,

“Over the past few years, our success came when our top three players scored more than 400 runs. The hope is that he can score big runs for us.”

Green fits that model perfectly. In his debut IPL season with Mumbai Indians in 2023, he scored 452 runs in 16 matches at an average of 50.22 and a strike rate above 160, including one century and two fifties. Across two IPL seasons with MI and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he has made 707 runs in 29 matches at an average of 41.58 with a strike rate of over 153, plus 16 wickets. He missed the 2024 auction due to injury but is now fully fit and ready for his third IPL franchise.

Cameron Green’s IPL Record

KKR’s balanced and powerful squad

Beyond Green, KKR also made smart buys at the auction, picking up New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra at his base price of Rs 2 crore. A JioStar expert praised KKR’s strategy, saying,

“KKR have done really well. Getting Rachin Ravindra at base price (Rs two crores) was smart. He is a quality player. He did not have a great season with CSK, but KKR is trying to replicate their winning season from a few years ago.”

The expert also highlighted the depth in KKR’s batting line-up, adding,

“They have Tim Seifert or Finn Allen to open the innings and keep wickets. Cameron Green will take the place of Andre Russell in the team. Russell was a master finisher, while Green prefers batting in the top three, but they will make it work. All in all, the squad of KKR is looking really solid, and they have serious batting power in their squad.”

KKR also spent big on Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana (Rs 18 crore) and Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman (Rs 9.20 crore) to strengthen their bowling attack. With retained players like Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana and Ramandeep Singh, plus new additions, KKR have built a squad capable of defending their title.

KKR Full Squad for IPL 2025

Retained Players: Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi

Bought at Auction: Cameron Green (Rs 25.20 Cr), Matheesha Pathirana (Rs 18 Cr), Mustafizur Rahman (Rs 9.20 Cr), Rovman Powell, Rahul Tripathi (Rs 75 lakh), Rachin Ravindra (Rs 2 Cr), Finn Allen (Rs 2 Cr), Tejasvi Singh (Rs 3 Cr), Tim Seifert (Rs 1.50 Cr), Akash Deep (Rs 1 Cr), Manish Pandey, Ajinkya Rahane, Anukul Roy, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Sarthak Ranjan (Rs 30 lakh), Daksh Kamra (Rs 30 lakh), Prashant Solanki (Rs 30 lakh), Kartik Tyagi (Rs 30 lakh)