KKR co-owner Jahnavi Mehta Exclusive: '90 per cent of our Wishlist achieved in Auction, Russell as Power Coach Exciting'

The Kolkata Knight Riders had a decent outing in the IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi. The Knight Riders went into the mini auction with the biggest purse of Rs 64.3 crore, and spent almost all of that to bring in 13 players ahead of the new season.

After a disappointing IPL 2025 season, KKR cleaned house this time around. Top names such as Venkatesh Iyer were released, while Andre Russell also announced his retirement. They acquired Cameron Green, Matheesha Pathirana as the high-profile signings in the auction.

This time around, under the new head coach Abhishek Nayar, KKR had a spotless auction. And sitting at the table in the thick of things were Jahnvi Gupta, the co-owner of the Knight Riders. MyKhel had an exclusive chat with her after the auction,

where she depicted the story this time around, and the insights behind KKR's mini auction 2026.

It's never easy with Biggest Purse

Despite the massive amount, KKR had a big task to bring in the right recruitments this time, and Jahnvi acknowledged the fact that it was tough. In fact, they had multiple mock auction scenarios coming upto the event, which versed the franchise to make the right move on the auction table.

"Sometimes there's a misconception around having a really big purse. It's actually quite hard to plan because the thing is, when you do have that kind of purse, that also means that you've released a lot of players. So you have to fill perhaps a few more gaps than other teams. "

"We go through a lot of those scenarios in the days before the auction, especially because that's when you have the lists and the sets. We also look at backup options for each priority. "

KKR missed out Kartik Sharma

Despite the rigorous rehearsal, the auction table often brings new surprises. Kolkata had a fantastic auction as they managed to land most of their targets, but Jahnvi admits they were really eyeing Kartik Sharma, who was sold to Chennai Super Kings for Rs 14.2 crore. But despite that, she is immensely happy as KKR managed to land Tejasvi Singh, who was acquired for Rs 3 crore.

"I think in an auction, a team is satisfied if they get 70 per cent of the players that they plan to get. But for us, we can say we got around 90 per cent of our wishlist. "

Abhishek Nayar as KKR Head Coach

Jahnvi also has been learning from Abhishek Nayar, as the new head coach's dedication and ability to pick talents have been a boon for the Knight Riders.

"I think he's (Abhishek Nayar) been with us for quite a few years as an assistant coach. And he has always been completely on the point when it comes to a lot of the domestic players, because of his connections and the work that he puts in in grassroots cricket. Someone like Angkrish Raghuvanshi is the prime example of this. Not just hardworking and dedication, he's an amazing human being. "

Andre Russell as Power Coach

Andre Russell's departure as a cricketer doesn't mean he won't be associated with KKR anymore. After hanging up his bat, Russell continues to be part of the KKR ecosystem as their newly appointed 'Power Coach'. And Jahnavi says the star West Indies all-rounder will be an impact off the field.

"Well, that's something really unique to us that we've created. It's going to be interesting to see how he impacts the team, because he is the definition of power. When you think about all 18 seasons of the IPL, I don't think there's anyone who has brought as much force and raw power to the league. It was a joy to watch him play.

He's had such a massive impact on games, changing them single-handedly. Drawing on how he's dealt with pressure, performed under it, and hit those 100-meter sixes, he can pass that on to the Indian youngsters. Just being able to speak with him, draw on his experiences, and pick up a few technical tips- I think he's going to be a very impactful member of the think tank and coaching staff for the IPL. So I'm very excited to see how that works. "