Kolkata Knight Riders Cricket Team (2025)

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are a professional T20 franchise cricket team. The KKR cricket team represents the city of Kolkata in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The KKR team is one of the founding teams of the IPL and participated in its first season in 2008.

The franchise is co-owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, actress Juhi Chawla and her spouse Jay Mehta. The Kolkata-based franchise plays its home games at the iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

The official colours of the KKR cricket team are purple and gold while the official motto of the team is Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo (Perform, Fight, Win). Thanks to its association with Shah Rukh Khan, the KKR team is one of the most popular IPL teams.

KKR are also one of the most successful teams in the history of the IPL. They are one of the only three teams to win the IPL more than once. They have won the tournament three times so far. The KKR team also holds the record for the longest winning streak by any IPL team (14).

Kolkata Knight Riders - Season-wise performance:

2008 - 2011:

The Kolkata Knight Riders team started their campaign in 2008 with an emphatic win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru but failed to keep the same momentum for the rest of the season. Under the captaincy of former India captain Sourav Ganguly, they managed to win six of their 14 league games.

Kolkata Knight Riders failed to qualify for the playoffs and eventually finished at the sixth spot in the eight-team competition.

2009:

The 2009 season was an absolute disaster for the KKR team. The poor performance on the field was not the only issue for them as they were having a hard time dealing with off-field issues as well. The then KKR coach John Buchanan suggested a multiple-captains theory before replacing the hugely popular Sourav Ganguly as the captain of the team.

The move did not pay off as KKR struggled throughout the season. They eventually finished at the bottom of the points table with just three wins from 14 games.

2010:

After two disappointing seasons, the KKR cricket team did well in 2010 but still failed to finish in the top four. Sourav Ganguly was reinstated as the captain but it did not change the team's fortunes. KKR, however, still had their best IPL season in terms of wins. They won seven of their 14 league games but still finished at a disappointing sixth spot in the points table.

2011:

The franchise decided to take a huge call ahead of the 2011 mega auction. It parted ways with Ganguly and appointed India star Gautam Gambhir as the new captain. The move paid off immediately as KKR went on to qualify for the playoffs. Gambhir also justified the franchise's faith in him by becoming one of the most decorated IPL captains.

In IPL 2011, the Kolkata Knight Riders team won eight of their 14 league games and finished at the fourth spot in the points table. Their campaign ended with a defeat against Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator.

2012:

The KKR team finally laid its hands on the coveted IPL title in 2012 under Gambhir's captaincy. With 10 wins from 14 league games, they finished the league stage at the second spot before beating Delhi Capitals in the first qualifier to enter the final for the very first time.

In the final, the KKR cricket team beat two-time defending champions Chennai Super Kings to register a historic win.

2013:

In 2013, KKR endured a poor season as the defending champions. With only six wins from 16 league games, they finished at the seventh spot in the points table and missed out on a playoffs spot for the first time under Gambhir's captaincy.

2014:

After the disappointing campaign in 2013, KKR bounced back in style in 2014 by winning the tournament for the second time. They also became only the second team after Chennai Super Kings to win the IPL twice.

With nine wins, they finished the league stage at the second spot. They beat Punjab Kings in the qualifier as well as the final to win their second IPL title.

2015:

In 2015, the KKR team once again failed to do well as the defending champions. They crashed out at the league stage after managing to win seven of their 14 league games.

2016:

In 2016, the Kolkata Knight Riders team finished at the fourth spot in the points table with eight wins from 14 league games. They eventually bowed out of the competition after losing the Eliminator against eventual champions Sunrisers Hyderabad.

2017:

In 2017, the KKR cricket team qualified for the playoffs again but could not make it to the final. It was also Gambhir's last season with the outfit.

2018:

In 2018, KKR appointed Dinesh Karthik as their new captain. Karthik started his captaincy stint with KKR on a promising note as the team finished third in the points table. KKR beat Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator before suffering a loss at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the second Qualifier.

2019:

In 2019, KKR failed to progress ahead of the league stage after managing six wins.

2020:

KKR missed out on the playoffs in 2020 as well after winning seven and losing seven. Midway through the season, Dinesh Karthik stepped down as captain too and was replaced by England great Eoin Morgan.

2021:

In 2021, KKR qualified for the final for the third time and first time since 2014. While they won their first two finals, they ended up on the losing side in 2021. The two-time champions lost the title-decider against Chennai Super Kings.

2022:

In 2022, KKR appointed Shreyas Iyer as their new captain. Iyer's captaincy stint with the KKR team did not start on a good note as the franchise failed to qualify for the playoffs. KKR bowed out of the competition at the seventh spot with six wins and eight losses.

2023:

With Iyer missing the entire 2023 season due to a back injury, Nitish Rana led the KKR cricket team in IPL 2023. Under Rana's captaincy, KKR failed to progress ahead of the league stage after managing only six wins out of 14.

2024:

In 2024, Iyer returned to captain KKR and led the franchise to its third IPL title and first since 2014. KKR finished the league stage at the top of the points table with 9 wins. They beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Qualifier as well as the final to clinch the trophy.

Kolkata Knight Riders - Captains list:

Eight different captains have led the Kolkata Knight Riders team so far. Sourav Ganguly was the first-ever captain of the franchise while Ajinkya Rahane is the latest. Rahane has been named the KKR captain ahead of the 2025 season.

Gautam Gambhir is KKR's most successful captain. Under his captaincy, KKR qualified for the playoffs for the first time and also won their maiden title. Gambhir led KKR to two IPL titles. The only other captain to lead KKR to the title is Shreyas Iyer.

Here is a list of players who have led Kolkata Knight Riders:

Kolkata Knight Riders - Head-to-Head Record:

The Kolkata Knight Riders team has been one of the most consistent teams in the IPL. Even though they struggled in the first three IPL seasons, they have done well since 2011 and are now one of the heavyweights of the tournament.

This list shows their head-to-head record against each IPL team (data updated till IPL 2024):

Kolkata Knight Riders - Season-wise highest run-scorer:

In the inaugural season, former KKR captain Sourav Ganguly was the highest scorer of the team. The former India skipper scored 349 runs. In 2010, Ganguly also became the first-ever KKR player to reach the 400-run mark in an IPL season when he scored an impressive 493 runs.

In 2012, Gautam Gambhir topped the run-scoring charts while also becoming the first KKR player to reach 500 runs in a season. The first KKR player to achieve the 600-run mark in a season was Robin Uthappa when he scored 630 runs.

No KKR player has managed to score 600 runs in a single season since then. Uthappa is also the only KKR player to win the Orange Cap till date. Ganguly, Gambhir, Uthappa and Shubman Gill are the only KKR players to finish a season as the highest run-scorer more than once.

Here is a list showing the season-wise highest run-scorer for KKR:

Kolkata Knight Riders - Season-Wise Highest Wicket-Taker:

Former Pakistan pacer Umar Gul was the highest wicket-taker for KKR in the inaugural season. He picked up 12 wickets in what was the first and last season for Pakistan players in the IPL.

The first KKR bowler to take 20 or more wickets in a season was Sunil Narine, achieving the feat in 2012 when he picked up 24 wickets and helped KKR win their maiden IPL title.

In 2013, Narine topped the wicket-taking chart once again and became the first-ever bowler to finish a season as the highest wicket-taker for KKR twice. He then went on to replicate that feat in IPL 2014 as well,

Overall, Narine has finished a season as KKR's highest wicket-taker four times and is level with Varun Chakravarthy and Andre Russell.

Here is a list showing the season-wise highest wicket-taker for KKR:

Kolkata Knight Riders - Major Stats:

KKR have won three IPL titles so far in addition to finishing runners-up once. They have also made it to the playoffs on four other occasions.

Their highest total in the IPL is 272/2 that they scored against Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024. Their lowest total is 67 that they scored against Mumbai Indians in IPL 2028.

Gautam Gambhir holds the record for scoring most runs for the Kolkata-based outfit. The former KKR skipper scored 3345 runs in 122 games for the franchise. He hit 30 half-centuries as well. He is also the only player to reach the 3000-run mark for KKR.

The record for taking most wickets for KKR is held by Sunil Narine. The West Indies star has taken 198 wickets for the franchise so far. He is followed by Andre Russell who has taken 116 wickets.

• IPL Titles: 3
• Highest total: 272/2 against Delhi Capitals, IPL 2024
• Lowest total: 67/10 against Mumbai Indians, IPL 2008
• Highest run-scorer: Gautam Gambhir
• Highest wicket-taker: Sunil Narine