Mumbai: Over the years, the IPL has seen several big buys weighed down by the pressure of its high prices. In 2014, it was Yuvraj Singh, bought by Royal Challengers Bengaluru for Rs 14 crore, while in 2025, it was Rishabh Pant, bought by Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 27 crore, who seemed overwhelmed by their huge auction prices. There have been many others as well.
In that context, there is a genuine concern that the last one in the list could be Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, who was acquired by Kolkata Knight Riders for a whopping Rs 25.20 crore in the IPL mini-auction in November last year.
However, ahead of his team’s opening match of IPL-2026 against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday night, KKR assistant coach and former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson stated that Green will not be burdened by his high price tag, pointing out that the Australian all-rounder prefers to play with absolute freedom.
“I’ve seen players in the past who have been paid a high price. I’ve seen them crumble in the past; that wave of expectations really stifled their ability to perform at their best,” Watson told reporters on Saturday, ahead of KKR’s training at the Wankhede Stadium.
Watson recalled that Green had been bought by Mumbai Indians and then traded to RCB for a huge fee and had performed quite well in the past. “Cameron certainly doesn’t see it that way. We’ve seen it when he was picked to play here for MI a couple of years ago for a pretty decent amount of money (Green first played IPL in 2023, when MI bought him for INR 17.5 crore), he had a very good season (he scored 452 runs at a strike rate of 160.28 and picked up six wickets). That’s his mentality when it comes to IPL – that he has nothing to lose,” Watson said.
“Obviously, that’s what people are willing to pay for him, but he’s there to be as free as possible, to be at his best, and we’ve seen how that’s been very beneficial to his performances in the IPL over the last two seasons. If you’ve seen the way he’s trained over the last few weeks, I don’t think in any way that his performance will be stifled by that price, because he’s very free and he’s excited to be able to be free in the middle as well,” he explained.
Watson said joining KKR had been “very exciting” for him, especially for the opportunity to work closely with Green. “There are a number of exciting things about coming to KKR. One of the biggest is working with Cameron Green. I’ve had several conversations with him over the years, but being able to help him on his journey and support his growth is something I’m really excited about,” Watson said.
Hampered by injuries to pacers Harshit Rana and Akash Deep, who have been ruled out of IPL-2026, Watson admitted that KKR is “doing everything possible” to bring Matheesha Pathirana into their camp.
“It’s a waiting game at the moment, and we are being guided by the Sri Lanka cricket board. We are doing everything we can to get him here as soon as possible. With the caliber of support staff and medical staff that we have here at KKR, we have exactly the same interests as Sri Lanka cricket as well. We want Pathirana to be here. We want him to be fit. We certainly would never, ever push him earlier than necessary.
“We just hope that sooner rather than later he can come here and we can really start the integration process,” Watson said.
Watson praised Zimbabwean player Blessing Muzarabani, who was recruited by the team a few days before the tournament, and said KKR hoped he would take advantage of the opportunity and live up to their expectations. “Life is about opportunities, and to be able to see someone like Blessing Muzarabani get the opportunity he’s been working so hard for with his exploits on the field is fantastic. For a tall guy, he’s a great athlete. He’s got great skills, and for there to be an opportunity for him to put him on the world stage and test himself against the best hitters in the world, I’m very excited for him,” Watson said.
Watson revealed that KKR’s young top-order batsman, Mumbai’s Angkrish Raghuvanshi, has been working hard to be ready to don the keeping gloves. “Raghuvanshi has been working tirelessly on its maintenance for the last five to six months.”