The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have decisively turned down three separate trade proposals from the Delhi Capitals (DC) aimed at acquiring India white-ball star KL Rahul ahead of the IPL 2026 season. Reports indicate the offers were made in an attempt by DC to rebalance their squad following their marquee purchase of Rahul for ₹14 crore at the IPL 2025 auction.
According to multiple sources, DC’s proposals for the trade were:
A straight swap of KL Rahul for KKR’s veteran all-rounder Sunil Narine.
An offering of two KKR players – Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Rinku Singh – in exchange for Rahul.
A third combination involving Raghuvanshi and Harshit Rana to DC for Rahul.
KKR reportedly declined all three options. The franchise’s management emphasized their reluctance to part with key players such as Narine, and to break up its developing core of young talent, which is seen as pivotal to its longer-term strategy.
For DC, retaining Rahul appears a clear strategic choice given his consistent performance and value to the team structure. The decision suggests Delhi is unwilling to expend one of their top assets purely for a trade, especially in light of the upcoming mini-auction and retention window.
The story underscores the complexity of trade negotiations in the Indian Premier League: while marquee names draw interest, valuation, team strategy, and future talent pipelines often shape whether deals can actually be executed. With the IPL 2026 auction timeline looming, fans and analysts will watch closely how DC and KKR manoeuvre next.
