Despite the financial constraint, KKR made some big moves on Day 1, surprising many with their bold strategies. With one of the smallest budgets heading into Day 2, the franchise still has key gaps to fill as they aim to assemble a championship-winning squad.

Here is the list of players bought by Kolkata Knight Riders and real-time squad updates during the Indian Premier League mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Kolkata Knight Riders Auction Strategy, Players Retained & Probable Buys, Full List of Sold and Unsold Players & Top Purchases Today – Indian Premier League

Not having any RTM option, Kolkata Knight Riders spulrged ₹ 23.75 crores on Venkatesh Iyer, from a base price of ₹ 2 crore. KKR also went for wicketkeeper-batters Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, buying them for ₹ 3.6 and ₹ 2 crores respetively.

Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders turned heads on the first day of IPL 2025 Auction, securing seven players and making a bold move by splurging on all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer. KKR IPL 2025 Squad: Rinku Singh,

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant pipped Shreyas Iyer ( ₹26.75 crore) to become the costliest buy in Indian Premier League's (IPL) history with a ₹27 crore pay cheque from Lucknow Super Giants, while Venkatesh Iyer was the surprise show-stopper as he was bought back for ₹23.