One of the best performers in the Indian Premier League, Kolkata Knight Riders is a two-times IPL champion. Added to boasting some of the best players of the Indian and international cricket, the team is also famous for its superstar owners. In fact, KKR is probably the only team in IPL that holds the maximum connection to Bollywood film industry. Not only its team owners are premier Bollywood stars (Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla) but its team jersey is also designed by celebrated Bollywood fashion designer Manish Malhotra. The Kolkata-based team won their first IPL trophy in 2012 beating Chennai Super Kings and once again in 2014 defeating Kings XI Punjab.
Kolkata Knight Riders boasts the record of longest win streak by any cricket team in India in the T20 format. In financial terms, KKR is the most successful of all franchises in IPL, attaining a whopping profit of 1.8 million USD in its maiden season itself.
Gautam Gambhir, the former skipper of the team, is the lead run-scorer of KKR. He is also the most successful captain of Kolkata Knight Riders as it was under his leadership the team won both the IPL wins. Sunil Narine is the lead wicket-taker of the team.
In 2018, Kolkata Knight Riders was the second highest in brand value (104 million USD) among the IPL teams. Kolkata Knight Riders has purchased the most expensive player in 2020 IPL (Pat Cummins).
Brendon McCullum is the head coach of the team while Abhishek Nayar is the Assistant Coach.
David Hussey is the mentor for KKR and Kyle Mills is the bowling coach.
Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL Semi-final - 4 times
Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL Final - 2 times
Kolkata Knight Riders official Website: www.kkr.in
Kolkata Knight Riders Team 2021 - Dream11 KKR IPL Squad List
- Dinesh Karthik (captain)
- Nitish Rana
- Shubman Gill
- Rinku Singh
- Eoin Morgan (England, Batsman)
- Rahul Tripathi
- Andre Russell (West Indies, Bowling Allrounder)
- Sunil Narine (West Indies, Bowler)
- Varun Chakravarthy
- Shivam Mavi
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Prasidh Krishna
- Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand, Fast Bowler)
- Harry Gurney (England, Left Arm Fast Bowler)
- Sandeep Warrier
- Kamlesh Nagarkoti
- Pat Cummins (Australia, Right Arm Fast Bowler)
Checkout complete IPL 2021 Schedule.
READ : Most Expensive Player IPL 2020
Kolkata Knight Riders KKR Past Performance (year-wise)
Kolkata Knight Riders was one of the two teams to kick-start the maiden season of Indian Premier League that was hosted at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Legendary Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly was the icon player and captain of the squad. The Kolkata-based team commenced their IPL journey with two back-to-back victories in the first two matches against Royal Challengers Bangalore as well as Deccan Chargers. Kiwi star opener Brendon McCullum wowed the cricket world with a stunning 158 in the very first match for KKR and was a key figure in seizing the win for the team. However, KKR could not maintain their winning form in the consequent matches and could only manage to win in 6 matches among the total 14 matches played. The team finished at the 6th position and could not reach to the Playoffs.
The 2nd season of Indian Premier League was the worst edition for KKR till date. The team could only manage 3 wins and faced 10 losses which led them to the lowest position on the points table. The team suffered 9 straight losses in the season which dealt a heavy blow to the overall position of the squad in the IPL points table. KKR also got embroiled into controversies for constant changing captains. Brendon McCullum was the skipper for KKR in 2009 IPL in most of the matches. However, despite the concurrent losses, KKR was still the richest of all teams in IPL.
The third season of the Indian Premier League was comparatively a better year for the Kolkata Knight Riders. The team re-appointed Ganguly as the team skipper and also made some heavy-weight purchases such as Shane Bond. Dav Whatmore replaced John Buchanan after a freaky year in 2009. KKR began the 3rd IPL season on a grand note by winning the first two matches. But, soon experienced three defeats only to bounce back and win almost all the home matches. At the end of group-stage, the team was in tie with Delhi Daredevils, Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils. But the team could not make it to the playoffs owing to lesser NRR.
The 4th season of Indian Premier League marks a controversial as well as a comparatively successful year for the Kolkata Knight Riders. The team was on a squad revamping spree and released many players including Ganguly. The former Indian skipper’s release from the team led to massive protests in Bengal, all over India and abroad. However, KKR purchased some of the best names of Indian and international cricket in the 2011 auction. Gautam Gambhir was bought with a record 2.4 million USD and was appointed as the new skipper of the team. Other notable names that were added to the team were Yusuf Pathan, Jacques Kallis, Brad Haddin, Shakib Al Hasan, James Pattinson and so on.
Though the team lost their maiden match in the 4th season yet they bounced back fast and went on to win the next 3 matches. The 2011 season was also special for KKR as it was the first season where the team could make to the playoffs for the first time. But, they were defeated by Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator round.
The 5th season of Indian Premier League was a turning point in the graph of Kolkata Knight Riders in the League. It was the first season when the Kolkata-based team clinched their first ever IPL win by defeating Chennai Super Kings. The team started off with a weak performance losing on the initial 2 matches in the season. But, the team picked up pace with the 3rd and 4th matches where they triumphed over Royal Challengers Bangalore as well as Rajasthan Royals. After another loss, KKR won 6 matches straight. They lost the following matches but again returned to form to meet and defeat CSK in the final. Sunil Narine was felicitated with the prestigious honor of Man of the Series.
The 6th season of the Indian Premier League did not really go well for the defending champs of the edition. Out of 16 matches played, they could only win 6 matches. They finished at the 7th position before leaving the IPL edition for the year at the end of the group stage matches. Despite the sorry performance from the team, some of the KKR talents came to prominence in the season. Mention must be made of Sunil Narine as he picked up as many as 22 wickets over 16 matches. Gambhir too managed to impress with his batting prowess but it was lack of support from other members of the squad that prevented KKR from getting to Playoffs.
The 7th season of the Indian Premier League was undoubtedly another special year for the Kolkata Knight Riders as it brought the team their 2nd win in the League. The Kolkata team started off their 2014 IPL edition by buying back many previous star players like Shakib, Yusuf Pathan, Kallis and so on. The team began with a win in their first match but soon succumbed to losses in concurrent matches. At this juncture, Gambhir took the decision to bring Uthappa in opening position which worked brilliantly and also brought the season in favor of the Kolkata team. KKR went to win the next 7 games on arrow and reached the playoffs by beating CSK on the points table. The team defeated kings XI Punjab in Eliminator round and again met and defeated the same opponent in the final.
The defending champs of the 2015 Indian Premier League could not retain their winning stint in this season of the League. Although they started the 8th IPL edition with a win against Mumbai Indians yet lost the second match. They again achieved victory with the 3rd and 4th matches against Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils. The team managed a mixed performance in the following matches, winning just 4 of the 10 matches played. One of the mach ended in tie which badly affected the points table of the Kolkata team. KKR could not reach the playoffs and had to leave the season with 5th position on the points table.
The 9th edition of the Indian Premier League was comparatively a better year for the KKR team compared to the previous year. The 2016 IPL again saw the Kolkata squad in the Playoffs. The team began the series win a solid win against Delhi Daredevils. But, then lost out to Mumbai Indians in the next match. After that, the team scored three successive wins and lost again in the following two matches. Out of 14 matches played by the team in total, KKR won in 8 games. The team reached up to the Playoffs with 4th position on the points table but lost in the Eliminator round to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 22 runs.
The 10th edition of the Indian Premier League was another good year for the Kolkata Knight Riders as they were the third best team in the series. The Kolkata team bolstered the squad this time with many new purchases such as Trent Boult, Rishi Dhawan, Chris Woakes, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Darren Bravo and so on. They started the season with a great win against Gujarat Lions but lost to Mumbai Indians in the next match. After that, the team won in 3 matches straight. Of the 14 matches played in the series, KKR won in 8 games. The team could manage to reach the Qualifying final but was defeated by Mumbai Indians.
Kolkata Knight Riders began their 2018 IPL journey with a smashing victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their very first match of the series. But then, the team lost in next two matches only to win back in the following two matches. Out of the 14 matches played, the team won in 8 games. Once again, Kolkata Knight Riders managed to secure a berth in the Playoffs. They won in the Eliminator round but lost in the Qualifying final and ended up in the 3rd position on the points table.
With the onset of the 12th season of Indian Premier League, Kolkata Knight Riders retained most of their players and also bought 9 other players. Those include Lockie Ferguson, Carlos Brathwaite, Nikhil Naik, Anrich Nortje and so on. The team started the season with two back-to-back win against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab. Although the team was expected to make it to the Playoffs given the presence of big hitters like Karthik and Andre Russell and stellar wicket-takers like Narine, the team could not secure a berth in the Playoffs and ended up in the 5th position.
Kolkata Knight Riders is one of the known teams across the tournament where it has already won one title. The performance of this team has been seen changing over a period and that is why it is considered as a dark horse. KKR team failed to show quality performance in IPL 2020. The team was initially captained by Dinesh Karthik and in 2nd phase of the tournament, captaincy of KKR was handled by Eoin Morgan. KKR team failed to maintain their winning momentum. Pat Cummins form was not very good for the franchise. He was a big buy for team but he failed to perform as per the expectations by franchise. Andre Russell was also not in great form and also suffered from injuries in IPL 2020. Shubman Gill was a big positive for KKR in IPL 2020. He played quality cricket for KKR team throughout the season. KKR also got their lowest ever total in IPL history in IPL 2020. KKR won 7 league matches out of 14 and finished the season at 5th position. They failed to qualify for playoffs because of their poor run rate.
Kolkata Knight Riders Winning history
Kolkata Knight Riders had their first IPL win in 2012 by defeating Chennai Super Kings in IPL Final Match by 5 wickets.
The team had its second IPL victory in 2014 whereby they won the IPL final match by defeating Kings XI Punjab by 3 wickets.
Check the list of IPL winners from 2008 to till date.
Kolkata Knight Riders Team Captain
The first captain of Kolkata Knight Riders was erstwhile and one of the most successful national team skippers Sourav Ganguly. He was the captain of the team in 2008 and 2010.
Brendon McCullum took the role of skipper in 2009 IPL.
From 2011 to 2017, it was Gautam Gambhir who led the team.
Dinesh Karthik was appointed as the KKR captain in 2018 and he is the current skipper of the squad.
Kolkata Knight Riders Team Owner
Kolkata Knight Riders is owned by Red Chillies Entertainment (55%) and Mehta Group. Red Chillies is headed by India’s one of the biggest movie star Shah Rukh Khan. On the other hand, Mehta Group is presided by business tycoon Jay Mehta and his wife Bollywood superstar Juhi Chawla.
Kolkata Knight Riders Home Venue
The official home venue for Kolkata Knight Riders is the iconic Eden Gardens, one of the most esteemed and largest stadium in the whole country. Boasting a massive seating capacity of 68,000, the stadium now houses one new clubhouse as well as multiple players’ facilities. Cricket Association of Bengal is the owner of Eden Gardens. The first IPL season was inaugurated in the Eden Gardens and it’s also the first stadium that witnessed the maiden win of KKR in the first match of first IPL season in 2008.
Kolkata Knight Riders Best Players
Pat Cummins
Kolkata Knight Riders is lucky to have the current #1 bowler Pat Cummins in the squad whom the team had purchased with a record bid of 15.5 crores INR. Cummins is in an excellent form of late and is determined to get KKR their 3rd IPL victory. One of the best aspects of the Aussie star bowler is that he can easily bowl and pick up wickets just anywhere in an innings.
Eoin Morgan
The English team skipper is undoubtedly one of the best additions to the KKR squad this year. He is especially excellent for middle-order batting and can even guide in team decisions given his experience as a successful skipper. Morgan is in a wonderful form lately and KKR can hope to witness some amazing batting prowess from him in the 2020 IPL.
Tom Banton
This young talent from England has already impressed the cricket world with his stunning performance in BBL. He was reportedly a dark horse in the recently concluded IPL auction and KKR was the lucky team to have him. Banton’s aggressive batting as well as solid strike would be a huge support for the Kolkata team.
Head to Head with Other IPL Teams
KKR vs RCB Head to Head
KKR vs DC Head to Head
KKR vs KXIP Head to Head
KKR vs SRH Head to Head
KKR vs CSK Head to Head
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals Head to Head
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians Head to Head