Kolkata Knight Riders Cricket Team

Listen to this article

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is a franchise cricket team that competes in the Indian Premier League (IPL), one of the most popular and lucrative T20 cricket leagues globally. 

KKR has consistently participated in the IPL, showcasing a mix of experienced international players and emerging talents from India. The team’s top competitions are undoubtedly the IPL seasons, where they engage in fierce contests against other franchises for the coveted trophy. KKR has had notable players like Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and Dinesh Karthik, who have made significant contributions to the team’s success. 

KKR Main Info

Established in 2008, the team represents the city of Kolkata. Over the years, KKR has been a formidable force in the IPL, claiming the championship title in 2012 and 2014 under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir. 

Symbols

Logo: The KKR logo features a knight wearing a helmet with a flowing cape. The knight is mounted on a horse, and some elements resemble a cricket ball in the design. The logo is predominantly purple and gold, which are the team colors.

Colors:

• Purple: The primary color of the team is purple, representing royalty and sophistication.
• Gold: The gold accents in the logo and uniform symbolize luxury and excellence.

Team Name: The team’s name, Kolkata Knight Riders, suggests a connection to the medieval era with the reference to “knights.” The term “riders” implies a sense of speed and agility, qualities desirable in cricket.

Fan base: The team is known for its passionate fan base, often referred to as the “Purple Brigade.”

Motto: The team’s motto is “Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo,” which translates to “We will do, we will fight, we will win” in English. This motto reflects the team’s determination and commitment to success on the cricket field.

Team Song: The official team anthem, “Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo Re,” was composed by the popular Bengali musician Jeet Ganguly. The song has become an integral part of KKR’s identity and is often played during matches and team events.

Team Mascot: The team’s mascot is a character named “Hoog Lee.” Hoog Lee is a purple, anthropomorphic cat wearing a KKR jersey. The mascot is often seen entertaining the crowd during matches and team events.

Value

For summer 2023, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) brand Value ranked fourth in IPL with a value of $181 million. Growing by 48.4% y-o-y from $122 million. Remember: the price at which the team was bought in 2008 was $75,09 million. 

Upper values have Chennai Super Kings ($212 million), RCB ($195 million), and Mumbai Indians ($190 million). But the full value of the team, according to Forbes in 2022, was $1.1 billion. Kolkata Knight Riders are the 3rd most valuable team in the IPL behind MI and CSK.

Home Ground

The home ground for the Kolkata Knight Riders is the Eden Gardens. Eden Gardens is an iconic international cricket stadium located in Kolkata, India. With a rich history dating back to its establishment in 1864, it holds the distinction of being the oldest cricket stadium in India and the second-largest in the country. Additionally, it ranks as the third-largest cricket stadium in the world. The stadium, with a current capacity of 68,000 spectators, is owned and operated by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).

Eden Gardens is not only a cricket stadium but also a symbol of cricketing heritage and significance in India. Often referred to as the “home of Indian cricket,” it has been likened to the Colosseum, drawing parallels to the grandeur and historical importance of the ancient Roman amphitheater. It has earned the title of the “Mecca of Indian cricket”.

Being the first purpose-built ground for the sport, Eden Gardens holds a special place in the history of cricket infrastructure. Over the years, the stadium has witnessed numerous historic moments and has hosted matches in major international competitions. It played a pivotal role in the 1987 Cricket World Cup by becoming the second stadium to host a World Cup final.

Sponsors

Kolkata Knight Riders’s total sponsorship revenue for the 2023 season is over $14.8m. The biggest single investment comes from MyFab11, which is valued at $3.80m per year. They have co-sponsorship deals with Jio, Lux Cozi, Acko General Insurance, and SRMB Steel along with others. They also have partnerships with Thums Up, Bira 91, Radio One, Fever 104 FM, The Telegraph and Amul Organic.

In total, Kolkata Knight Riders have sponsorship agreements with 20 brands in the 2023 season. The top five partners account for 53% of the club’s total income from sponsorship. 

Current Players — List 2023

Here is the Kolkata Knight Riders retained player’s list in 2023: 

Name	Role in the team	Price
Shreyas Iyer	Batter	12.25 crore
Nitish Rana	Captain, Batter	8 crore
Venkatesh Iyer	All-Rounder	8 Crore
Andre Russell	All-Rounder	12 Crore
Sunil Narine	All-Rounder	6 Crore
Umesh Yadav	Bowler	2 crore
Tim Southee	Bowler	1.5 crore
Harshit Rana	Bowler	20 lakh
Varun Chakravarthy	Bowler	8 Crore
Anukul Roy	All-Rounder	20 lakh
Rinku Singh	Batter	55 lakh
Rahmanullah Gurbaz	Batsman/Wicket-keeper	50 lakh
Shardul Thakur	Bowler	10.75 Crore
Lockie Ferguson	Bowler	10 Crore

And here is the full list of all players of the KKR in 2023: 

Name	Role in the team	Price
Nitish Rana	Captain, Batter	8 crore
Venkatesh Iyer	All-Rounder	8 crore
Andre Russell	All-Rounder	12 Crore
Sunil Narine	All-Rounder	6 Crore
Umesh Yadav	Bowler	2 crore
Tim Southee	Bowler	1.5 crore
Harshit Rana	Bowler	20 lakh
Varun Chakravarthy	Bowler	8 Crore
Anukul Roy	All-Rounder	20 lakh
Rinku Singh	Batter	55 lakh
Rahmanullah Gurbaz	Batsman/Wicket-keeper	50 lakh
Shardul Thakur	Bowler	10.75 Crore
Lockie Ferguson	Bowler	10 Crore
N Jagadeesan	Batter	90 lakh
Vaibhav Arora	Bowler	60 lakh
Suyash Sharma	Bowler	20 lakh
David Wiese	All-Rounder	1 crore
Kulwant Khejroliya	Bowler	20 lakh
Litton Das	Wicket-keeper	50 lakh
Mandeep Singh	Batter	50 lakh
Jason Roy	Batter	2.8 crore
Aarya Desai	Batter	20 lakh

In the list is 22 players: 14 Indian and 8 Overseas. 

Best Players From The Past

In the first years of the KKR’s history, a lot of players were accepted as legends of cricket. Here is the list of glory with top 10 players: 

Name	Years	Matches	Runs	Ave	SR
Gautam Gambhir	2011-2017	122	3345	31.26	124.72
Chris Lynn	2014-2019	40	1274	34.43	141.39
Robin Uthappa	2014-2019	91	2649	31.53	135.84
Jacques Kallis	2011-2014	70	1603	28.12	108.31
Dinesh Karthik	2018-2019	30	751	41.72	147.23
Yusuf Pathan	2011-2017	122	2061	30.30	135.94
Andre Russell	2014-2019	63	1407	34.31	188.35
Sunil Narine	2012-2019	119	772	17.54	167.46
Rajat Bhatia	2011-2013	54		28.38
Iqbal Abdulla	2008-2013	41		25.48

Captain

In March 2023 Nitish Rana was named KKR’s captain. He replaced injured Shreyas Iyer.

Coaches

The list of former head coaches of KKR: 

• 2008-2009 — John Buchanan.
• 2010-2011 — Dav Whatmore.
• 2012-2015 — Trevor Bayliss.
• 2016-2019 — Jacques Kallis.
• 2020-2022 — Brendon McCullum.

61-year-old Chandrakant Pandit is the head coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders for the IPL 2023 season. He took over the role from Brendon McCullum in August 2022. Pandit, a highly regarded coach in India’s domestic cricket, hails from Madhya Prades, he and has achieved notable success in the Ranji Trophy, winning the prestigious tournament six times as a coach with Mumbai, Vidarbha, and Madhya Pradesh.

Former Indian fast bowler Bharat Arun will continue as the bowling coach for the second season in a row. Arun was the bowling coach of Indian men’s cricket team: from 2014 to 2015 and then from 2017 to 2021 until the T20 World Cup.

Since November 2022 the role of the fielding coach of KKR has been former Netherlands all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate. 

Owners

KKR is co-owned by a group of individuals: Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, actress Juhi Chawla, and her spouse Jay Mehta.

They collectively own the franchise since its inception in 2008. The owner percentage is 55% for Shah Rukh Khan and 45% for Juhi Chawla with her spouse. 

KKR Competitions In IPL

Season	Result (position)	Matches played	Wins	Losses	Win/Loses
2008	6	14	6	7	46.16%
2009	8	14	3	10	23.07%
2010	6	14	7	7	50%
2011	4	15	8	7	53.33%
2012	1	18	12	5	70.58%
2013	7	16	6	10	37.5%
2014	1	16	11	5	68.75%
2015	5	14	7	6	53.84%
2016	4	15	8	7	53.33%
2017	3	16	9	7	56.25%
2018	3	16	9	7	56.25%
2019	5	14	6	8	42.86%
2020	5	14	7	7	50%
2021	2	17	9	8	52.94%
2022	7	14	6	8	48.27%
2023	7	14	6	8	42.85%

These positions represent how Kolkata Knight Riders finished in the league standings at the end of the IPL seasons. Notably, the team has experienced both highs, winning the championship in 2012 and 2014, and some mid-table finishes in different seasons.

Timelines And Scorecards

Here is timelines and scorecards with the opposition of the Kolkata Knight Riders with other IPL teams: 

Team	Total Matches	Won	Losses	Wins
Chennai Super Kings	28	10	18	35.71%
Delhi Capitals	31	16	15	51.61%
Mumbai Indians	32	9	23	28.12%
Punjab Kings	32	21	11	65.62%
Rajasthan Royals	27	14	13	51.85%
Royal Challengers Bangalore	32	18	14	56.25%
Sunrisers Hyderabad	25	16	9	64%
Gujarat Titans	3	1	2	33.33%
Lucknow Super Giants	3	0	3	0%
Deccan Chargers	9	7	2	77.78%
Kochi Tuskers Kerala	2	0	0	0%
Pune Warriors India	5	4	1	80%
Gujarat Lions	4	1	3	25%
Rising Pune Supergiant	4	3	1	75%

Kolkata Knight Riders Centuries

KKR have only two centuries in IPL. The first player who gifted that result to the team was Brendon McCullum in April 2008 vs RCB. He made 158 runs, 78 balls, 10 4s and 13 6s. 

The second one was recently in history: in April 2023, in the match vs Mumbai Indians. Venkatesh Iyer made 104 runs, 51 balls, 6 4s and 9 6s. 

Conclusion

KKR stands as a prominent and widely followed franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Established in 2008, KKR has had its share of ups and downs in the T20 championship, with notable achievements such as winning the IPL title in 2012 and 2014.

Led by a mix of experienced international players and promising talents from India, KKR has consistently been a competitive force in the IPL, with a fan base passionately known as the “Purple Brigade.” The team’s colors of purple and gold, along with its iconic logo featuring a knight, contribute to the distinct identity of the franchise.

With strategic team compositions, involvement in auctions, and changes in coaching staff, KKR continues to evolve and adapt to the challenges of each IPL season. The franchise’s home ground, Eden Gardens in Kolkata, serves as a historic and iconic venue for cricket enthusiasts.

KKR vs GT IPL 2023 Highlights Video

FAQ