The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is a cricket team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) hailing from Kolkata. The franchise is owned by Bollywood personalities Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, and Jay Mehta. Their home ground is the renowned Eden Gardens stadium.

Due to their celebrity owners, the Kolkata Knight Riders have attracted significant public interest. They made their IPL debut in 2011 and clinched their first title in 2012 by defeating Chennai Super Kings in the final match. They secured another championship victory in 2014, this time by triumphing over Kings XI Punjab.

Kolkata Knight Riders – IPL History

The Kolkata Knight Riders were established in 2008 with Sourav Ganguly as their captain during the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Their debut match was highlighted by Brendan McCullum’s remarkable performance, scoring 158 runs off 73 balls, setting a new T20 record. Despite this strong start, the team struggled, finishing 6th in their first season and then 8th and 6th in the subsequent two seasons. This led to a strategic shift in the team’s approach, notably opting not to retain Ganguly and McCullum in the 2011 IPL auction.

The team underwent significant changes, investing heavily in players like Gautam Gambhir, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, and Brett Lee. This overhaul proved successful as they clinched the IPL title in 2012 under Gambhir’s captaincy and repeated the feat in 2014. However, their performance declined in subsequent years, finishing 5th in 2019, prompting a reshuffle ahead of the 2019 IPL auction.
Several key players, including Robin Uthappa and Piyush Chawla, were released, while Brendan McCullum was appointed as the Head Coach, David Hussey as the Chief Mentor, and Kyle Mills as the Bowling Coach. Known as the Knight Riders, their anthem “Korbo lorbo jeetbo” reflects their ethos of playing with determination to win. Despite their ups and downs, the team in purple and gold has earned a devoted fan base across India.

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Home ground

The Knight Riders’ home base is Eden Gardens, managed by the Cricket Association of Bengal. Initially India’s largest cricket stadium seating over 90,000, it underwent renovations in 2011 to align with International Cricket Council standards for the 2011 Cricket World Cup, reducing capacity to approximately 68,000. Renovations included a new clubhouse, upgraded player facilities, exterior wall enhancements, a new metal skin for the roof, and overall infrastructure improvements.In 2013, the team played two of their home matches at the JSCA International Cricket Stadium located in Ranchi.

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KKR Team Records

After the IPL 2010 Season, KKR Parted Ways With Saurav Ganguly.

After the IPL 2010, KKR decided to release Saurav Ganguly. However, during the 2011 auction, the team opted not to purchase him. Instead, they invested $2.4 million in acquiring Gautam Gambhir and $2.1 million in Yusuf Pathan, focusing on dependable players. They also brought in a host of other international players including Shakib Al Hasan, Brad Haddin, Jacques Kallis, Brett Lee, Ryan ten Doeschate, Eoin Morgan, and James Pattinson, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the team. This strategic overhaul paid off as the team managed to win 8 out of their 15 games, securing a spot in the eliminator for the first time.

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Remarkable Victory of Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2012 IPL

In the electrifying 2012 IPL season, Kolkata Knight Riders clinched a remarkable victory, propelled by the exceptional performance of their acquisition, Sunil Narine. His bowling prowess, akin to magic without a wand, bewildered opposing batters throughout the tournament. Narine’s crucial contributions in pivotal matches, including the final triumph over Chennai Super Kings led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, secured KKR’s success with 12 wins. The city of Kolkata erupted in jubilation, with celebrations transforming into a grand carnival, graced by the presence of notable figures like Shah Rukh Khan and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

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Another accomplishment for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014

In 2014, Kolkata Knight Riders showcased their remarkable sportsmanship yet again with an impressive performance against Kings XI Punjab. Led by Gautam Gambhir, the team displayed exceptional teamwork, featuring Indian players like Robin Uthappa, Umesh Yadav, Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, and Piyush Chawla, alongside Morne Morkel, Patrick Cummins, and Chris Lynn. Gambhir’s strategic leadership played a crucial role as KKR won 11 games that season, including a memorable victory over Kings XI Punjab in a high-scoring chase.

Setbacks experienced by the KKR team.

KKR experienced setbacks in the 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2020 seasons, landing in the fifth, fourth, third, and fifth positions respectively. However, noteworthy was the team’s commitment to providing opportunities to emerging players like Ankit Rajpoot, Jaydev Unadkat, Rishi Dhawan, Ishank Jaggi, among others.

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Key Players of KKR

Dinesh Karthik:

Leading the Kolkata Knight Riders is Dinesh Karthik, whose international career has had its ups and downs. His appointment as captain in the 2018 IPL raised eyebrows, but he proved his mettle by being the team’s sixth-highest run-scorer in the 2019 season, amassing 253 runs with an impressive strike rate of 146.24. With Rishabh Pant overtaking him in the international arena, Karthik needs a strong IPL showing to reassert himself in the Indian team.

Andre Russell

He is the linchpin of the Knight Riders, having dominated the previous season with 510 runs at a staggering strike rate of 204.83 and 11 crucial wickets. His match-winning performances make him indispensable, provided he stays fit throughout IPL 2020.

Sunil Narine

Sunil holds the record for most wickets in Knight Riders’ history but had a lackluster IPL 2019, managing only 10 wickets and 143 runs. The team is banking on his resurgence to reclaim their former glory.

Shubman Gill,

Gill is a promising talent, and aims for a more prominent batting role in IPL 2020 after being shuffled in the lineup last season. Despite a relatively low strike rate of 124.37, his potential shines through, waiting for the right opportunity at the international level.

Nitish Rana,

He is often underrated, contributed significantly as the third-highest run-scorer for the Knight Riders in the previous season, scoring 344 runs and taking 3 wickets. His consistency will be crucial for the team’s success in the upcoming IPL.

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Kuldeep Yadav,

Once a mainstay in the Indian team, faces a dip in form and is no longer a regular fixture. With just 4 wickets in 9 games in IPL 2019, he needs to rediscover his prowess to bolster the Knight Riders’ bowling attack.

Lockie Ferguson,

Known for his pace, had a modest IPL 2019 with only 2 wickets in 5 games. His performance remains vital for the team, with hopes of acquiring a strong bowling partner in the auction to enhance their bowling arsenal.

In the 2018 auctions, the franchise demonstrated a forward-thinking approach by opting not to retain Gautam Gambhir, their highly successful former captain. Instead, they appointed Dinesh Karthik as captain and prioritized providing opportunities to young players as part of their strategy for the future.

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IPL summary of results of KKR

The Schedule For Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024 is as Follows:

1. Kolkata Knight Riders will play against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Eden Gardens on 23rd March in Kolkata.

2. On 29th March, Kolkata Knight Riders will face Royal Challengers Bangalore at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

3. Their third match is scheduled against Delhi Capitals at ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Vizag on 3rd April.

As For The Kolkata Knight Riders Squad For IPL 2024, it Includes:

– Shreyas Iyer as the captain

– Players like Nitish Rana,Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rinku Singh, Jason Roy,  Sunil Narine, Mujeeb Ur Rahman,Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Andre Russell, HarsMitchell Starc, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Sherfane Rutherford, Manish Pandey, Dushmantha Chameera, and Sakib Hussain.

Additionally, Dushmantha Chameera has replaced Gus Atkinson in the squad.

Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2024 auction buys

Kolkata Knight Riders made several acquisitions during the IPL 2024 auction, including KS Bharat and Chetan Sakariya for Rs. 50 lakh each, Mitchell Starc for a significant Rs. 24.75 crore, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Ramandeep Singh for Rs. 20 lakh each, Sherfane Rutherford for Rs. 1.5 crore, Manish Pandey for Rs. 50 lakh, Mujeeb Ur Rahman for Rs. 2 crore, and Sakib Hussain for Rs. 20 lakh.

Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2024 match details

The first three matches of KKR are scheduled to commence at 7:30 PM.

Live streaming details

India: TV: Star Sports Network || Digital: Jio Cinema

Venues of Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2024 matches

KKR is scheduled to compete in their initial three matches at Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Vizag, according to the recently released IPL schedule, which spans from March 22nd, 2024, to April 7th, 2024.

KKR’s Notable Achievements:

• Champions in 2012 and 2014.
• Achieved the most successive wins in a single Indian Premier League season with 9 consecutive wins in 2014.
• Holds the record for the most successive wins in the Indian Premier League with 10 wins spanning 2014-2015.
• Fourth highest score in a match (245/6 vs KXIP, 2018).
• Set the record for the lowest opponent score (49 vs RCB, 2017).
• Ranked 7th in successful run chases (206 vs RCB, 2014).
• Third in winning by the largest margin of runs (140 vs RCB, 2008).
• Brendon McCullum ranks second for hitting the most sixes in an innings (13 vs RCB, 2008).
• Andre Russell holds the highest strike rate at 186.41, followed by Sunil Narine at 168.34.
• Yusuf Pathan and Sunil Narine are second and third, respectively, for the fastest fifties in IPL. Pathan achieved this feat in 15 balls against SRH in 2014, while Narine did it against RCB in 2017.