Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) let his key player and former captain Nitish Rana slip away by not picking him in the IPL 2025 mega auction, which was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on November 24-25. Instead, Rajasthan Royals (RR) picked the star batter, who was surprisingly not retained or pursued by the defending champions KKR.
Nitish Rana's wife takes 'loyalty' dig at KKR
The decision to not use the Right to Match (RTM) card to retain Rana baffled fans and sparked widespread criticism.
Nitish Rana's wife, Saachi Marwah, has indirectly criticized the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on social media following the IPL 2025 mega auction. Despite Rana's consistent performances and loyalty to the franchise, KKR first didn't retain him and then ignored him in the IPL 2025 mega auction, leading to his acquisition by the Rajasthan Royals.
Marwah's cryptic message on social media hinted at KKR's lack of appreciation for Rana's contributions and suggested that the franchise had undervalued his worth. This has sparked further discussion and debate among fans regarding KKR's decision-making process.
“Loyalty is very expensive; not everyone can afford it,” Saachi Marwah's Instagram post read after Nitish Rana was left out by KKR.
Nitish Rana and his wife Saachi Marwah later unfollowed the KKR's social media handle.
Nitish Rana had to take a big pay cut to join Rajasthan Royals. While he previously earned Rs 8 crore annually with the Kolkata Knight Riders, his new contract with the Royals is worth Rs 4.20 crore, representing a nearly 50 per cent reduction in his salary.
This drastic dip in Rana's IPL earnings, coupled with KKR's decision not to retain him, has undoubtedly been a disappointing turn of events for the star batter. After starting his IPL journey with a salary of INR 3.40 crore and gradually increasing his earnings through consistent performances, Rana will look to prove his worth in the upcoming season of the IPL.
KKR's full squad for IPL 2025:
Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh, Venkatesh Iyer (Rs. 23.75 crore), Quinton de Kock (Rs. 3.60 crore), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Rs. 2 crore), Anrich Nortje (Rs. 6.50 crore), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (Rs. 3 crore), Vaibhav Arora (Rs. 1.80 crore), Mayank Markande (Rs. 30 lakh), Rovman Powell (Rs. 1.50 crore), Manish Pandey (Rs. 75 lakh), Spencer Johnson (Rs. 2.80 crore), Luvnith Sisodia (Rs. 30 lakh), Ajinkya Rahane (Rs. 1.50 lakh), Anukul Roy (Rs. 40 lakh), Moeen Ali (Rs. 2 crore), Umran Malik (Rs. 75 lakh).
