All IPL Captains of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have had a tough time when it comes to choosing the right captain for the team. This article contains information about all IPL Captains of KKR.

All IPL Captains of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Sourav Ganguly (2008-2010)

Former Indian captain Rahul Dravid was the first captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders and led the team in two seasons, 2008 and 2010.

Although Ganguly had the expierence of leading India and had a decent record while doing so, he couldn't replicate that in T20 cricket.

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KKR's below-par performance in the fast edition compelled the management to remove Ganguly as the captain for the upcoming season, which was held in South Africa.

Another disappointing season led to Ganguly being reinstated as the captain of KKR in 2010, but the move did not make much difference as Kolkata Knight Riders finished in the bottom half of the points table yet again.

Sourav led KKR in 27 IPL matches and could only manage to win 13 of those, while the team faced defeat in the remaining 14 matches under Ganguly.

Brendon McCullum (2009)

The 2009 season was an unusual one for Kolkata Knight Riders in the sense that the team decided to bring in the formula of split captaincy, where you had separate captains for batting, bowling, and fielding.

Although Brendon McCullum was the official captain of the team for that season, he had to take permission from various coaches who were positioned at different angles outside the field of play.

The decision to do something innovative backfired massively as Kolkata Knight Riders lost 10 of the 14 games they played that season.

As far as McCullum's record as the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders is concerned, he was able to win just three of the thirteen games he played as the captain of the team.

Gautam Gambhir (2011-2017)

The year 2011 came as a breath of fresh air for Kolkata Knight Riders as the owners decided to restructure the team and roped in Gautam Gambhir as the captain, who was given the full freedom to build the team from scratch

Gambhir went in with a team that had a nice blend of youth and expierence with the likes of Jacques Kallis along with Gambhir Himself at the top of the order and made smart buys in the auction.

A couple of the smart buys included players like Manvinder Bisla and Sunil Narine, both of whom played a crucial part in Kolkata Knight Riders' maiden title win in 2012.

Gambhir went on to lead the team till 2017 and added another trophy to Kolkata Knight Riders' captain in 2014 after a nine-game winning streak.

The two-time IPL-winning captain, Gambhir, led Kolkata Knight Riders in 122 matches and won 69 games, which translates to a win percentage of more than 50%.

Jacques Kallis (2011)

The former South African all-rounder was the deputy of Gautam Gambhir in the 2011 edition of the league and led Kolkata Knight Riders in two matches and was able to register a win in one game.

Dinesh Karthik (2018-2020)

Dinesh Karthik former Indian wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik who has been an IPL journeyman, also played for Kolkata Knight Riders from 2018 to 2021, and also captained the side in 2018 and 2019.

Karthik's tenure as Kolkata Knight Riders' captain was a topsy-turvy one, which started on a positive note as Kolkata Knight Riders made it to the playoffs in 2018, but everything went downhill from the next season.

Karthik wasn't able to replicate his performance in the next two seasons and decided to step down as the captain of KKR midway through the 2020 IPL season. Karthik led KKR in 37 matches and recorded 19 wins and 17 losses.

Eoin Morgan (2020-2021)

Eoin Morgan, who had been a part of Kolkata Knight Riders on many occasions in the past, was appointed as the captain of the team in 2020 after Karthik decided to step down as the captain of the team.

It was in 2021 that Kolkata Knight Riders, under Morgan, scripted a famous turnaround in the second phase of the tournament held in the United Emirates and made it to the final.

Morgan won 11 of the 24 matches he led KKR in during his time as a player in the IPL.

Shreyas Iyer (2022-2024)

Shreyas Iyer is one of the two captains to lead KKR to an IPL title, having done so in 2024. Shreyas, who was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders in 2022, captained the team in two IPL seasons after missing the 16th edition due to injury.

Iyer led KKR in 17 matches and won 11 games, which makes for a win percentage of 58.62, which is the best among Kolkata Knight Riders captains with 20-plus matches under their belt.

Nitish Rana (2023)

Nitish Rana took over as the captain of the side in the absence of Shreyas Iyer in 2023 but couldn't make the most of the opportunity as KKR won six and lost eight matches under his captaincy.

Ajinkya Rahane (2025)

Ajinkya Rahane, who was appointed as the captain of the team for the 2025 season, had a disappointing stint on the field as KKR failed to defend the title with Rahane at the helm.

Kolkata Knight Riders succeeded in winning just five out of the 13 matches that Rahane played as the captain of the side.