Cameron Green (PTI Photo/Shailendra Bhojak)
Mumbai: Over the years, the Indian Premier League has seen several top buys weighed down by its high prices. In 2014, it was Yuvraj Singh, who was bought by Royal Challengers Bengaluru for Rs 14 crore, while in 2025, it was Rishabh Pant, who was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 27 crore, and both appear to be saddled with huge auction prices.
There were many others as well.In this context, there is a real concern that the latest on the list could be Australian Cameron Green, who was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 25.20 crore in the IPL mini-auction in November last year.
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However, ahead of his team’s opening match in IPL-2026 vs
Mumbai Indians
At the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday evening, KKR assistant coach and former Australian player
Shane Watson
He stressed that Green would not be affected by his high price, noting that the Australian player prefers to play with absolute freedom.
“I have seen players in the past who paid a high price for themselves. I have 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 was bought by Mumbai Indians and later traded to RCB for a big price and has performed fairly well in the past. “Cameron certainly doesn’t see it that way.
We saw with him when he was picked to play here for MI a couple of years ago for a decent amount of money (Green played his IPL debut in 2023, when MI bought him for INR 17.5 crore), he had a very good season (scored 452 runs at a strike rate of 160.28 and took six wickets).
“That’s his mentality when it comes to the Indian Premier League, 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 has been very beneficial to his performances in the ISL over the last couple of seasons.
He explained: “If you see the way he has trained over the last two weeks, I do not think in any way that his performance will be stifled by this price, because he is very free and excited about being able to be free in the middle as well.”Watson said joining KKR was “very exciting” for him, especially because of the opportunity to work closely with Green. “There are a number of exciting things about me coming to KKR.
One of the biggest companies works with Cameron Green. “I’ve had many 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 players Harshit Rana and Akash Deb, who were ruled out of IPL-2026, Watson admitted that KKR are “doing everything they can” to bring Mathisha Patirana into their camp.“It is a waiting game at the moment and we are guided by the Sri Lanka Cricket Board.
We are doing everything we can to get him here as soon as possible. With the level of support staff and medical staff we have here at KKR, we have exactly the same interests as Sri Lankan cricket as well. We want Patirana to be here. We want him to be fit. We will certainly never push him any earlier than he needs to.“We’re just hoping that sooner rather than later he can come here and we can really start the integration process,” Watson said.Watson praised Zimbabwean pacer Blessing Muzarabane, who was included in the squad just days before the tournament, and said KKR were hoping he would seize the opportunity and deliver the goods. “Life is about opportunities, and to be able to see someone like Blessing Mezarabani get the opportunity he has been working so hard for through his exploits on the field is amazing. For a guy that tall, he is a great athlete.
“He’s got great skills, and to have the opportunity to put it 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 trying his best to be ready to don the keeper gloves. “Raghuvanshi has been working tirelessly at keeping wickets for the last five-six months.”