IPL 2021: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Team Profile Overview, Stats, Auctions Analysis, Season-Wise Performance, Full Schedule and Squad


IPL 2021: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Team Profile Overview, Stats, Auctions Analysis, Season-Wise Performance, Full Schedule and Squad
Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are one of the most followed teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL). They are also one of the more successful teams as they have got their hands on the trophy twice. Ever since lighting up the first day of the inaugural edition of the tournament that saw current head coach Brendon McCullum smash 158*, the side has been one that is never underestimated.

Last season, KKR finished 5th in the points table as they narrowly missed out on making it to the playoffs on net run-rate. They were frustrated by a thrilling last-over loss in a crucial match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) that saw them lose out on the playoffs. The side also had a change of captaincy midway through last season as Dinesh Karthik handed over the reins to Eoin Morgan who will continue to lead this year as well.

At the auction, KKR were among the quieter teams as they did not have a lot of slots to fill, having retained a majority of their players. Their best buy was Bangladeshi all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan while the likes of Harbhajan Singh and Ben Cutting could turn out to be smart ones as well.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Team Overview

Let’s take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of the franchise.

Strengths:

KKR have plenty of explosive overseas batsmen as well as reliable Indian batters to hold the batting line-up in good stead. The likes of Andre Russell, Eoin Morgan, Ben Cutting, Tim Seifert and Sunil Narine can all win a game on their own. Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik and Rahul Tripathi can also be counted upon to come good consistently.

KKR’s spin attack is also terrific. The likes of Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav will now have Harbhajan Singh, Pawan Negi and Shakib Al Hasan for company making it one of the best spin attacks in the tournament.

Weaknesses:

The players’ form will be the biggest cause for concern for KKR. Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav haven’t been in the best of touches in recent times. Shakib Al Hasan is just returning from a one-year ban. The players might hence, be rusty when the tournament begins.

KKR’s pace attack lacks a bit of reliability as well. Although they have two world class pacers in Pat Cummins and Lockie Ferguson, team combination might make it difficult for both to play meaning uncapped Indian pacers like Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti will have to be relied upon.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Season Wise Performance

KKR IPL 2014 Celebrations
Victorious KKR team in 2014
YearCaptainResultTop BatsmanRunsTop BowlerWicketsWin %
2020Dinesh Karthik/Eoin Morgan5thShubman Gill440Varun Chakravarthy1750%
2019Dinesh Karthik5thAndre Russell510Andre Russell1142.85%
2018Dinesh Karthik3rdDinesh Karthik498Kuldeep Yadav1756.30%
2017Gautam Gambhir3rdGautam Gambhir498Chris Woakes1757.14%
2016Gautam Gambhir4thGautam Gambhir501Andre Russell1553.33%
2015Gautam Gambhir5thRobin Uthappa364Andre Russell1453.84%
2014Gautam GambhirWinnersRobin Uthappa660Sunil Narine2168.75%
2013Gautam Gambhir6thGautam Gambhir406Sunil Narine2237.50%
2012Gautam GambhirWinnersGautam Gambhir590Sunil Narine2470.58%
2011Gautam Gambhir4thJacques Kallis424Yusuf Pathan1353.33%
2010Sourav Ganguly6thSourav Ganguly493Ashok Dinda950%
2009Brendon Mccullum8thBrad Hodge365Ishant Sharma1123.07%
2008Sourav Ganguly6thSourav Ganguly349Umar Gul1246.16%

Kolkata Knight Riders: Team Stats

Shubman Gill

Batting:

  • Most Runs: Gautam Gambhir (3,035)
  • Most 100s: B McCullum (1)
  • Most 50s: Gautam Gambhir (30)
  • Best Batting Average: Shubman Gill (33.53)
  • Best Strike rate: Andre Russell (182.33)
  • Most 6’s: Yusuf Pathan (85)
  • Highest individual score: B McCullum (158*)

Bowling:

  • Most wickets: Sunil Narine (127)
  • Best bowling figure: Sunil Narine (5 for 19 against KXIP in 2012)
  • Most 5-wicket hauls: Sunil Narine (1)
  • Most 4-wicket Hauls: Sunil Narine (6)

Here is the List of Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2021 fixtures, venues and match timings

Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik
DateVenueOpponentTime (IST)
11/04ChennaiSunrisers Hyderabad7:30 PM
13/04ChennaiMumbai Indians7:30 PM
18/04ChennaiRoyal Challengers Bangalore3:30 PM
21/04MumbaiChennai Super Kings7:30 PM
24/04MumbaiRajasthan Royals7:30 PM
26/04AhmedabadPunjab Kings7:30 PM
29/04AhmedabadDelhi Capitals7:30 PM
03/05AhmedabadRoyal Challengers Bangalore7:30 PM
08/05AhmedabadDelhi Capitals3:30 PM
10/05BangaloreMumbai Indians7:30 PM
12/05BangaloreChennai Super Kings7:30 PM
15/05BangalorePunjab Kings7:30 PM
18/05BangaloreRajasthan Royals7:30 PM
21/05BangaloreSunrisers Hyderabad3:30 PM

Kolkata Knight Riders: 2021 Auction Buys and Trades

Shakib Al Hasan

Complete list of all the released players:

Nikhil Naik, Siddhesh Lad, M Siddharth, Tom Banton, Chris Green, Harry Gurney.

Complete list of players bought by KKR in 2020 Auctions:

Shakib Al Hasan (3.2 crore), Harbhajan Singh (2 crore), Ben Cutting (75 lakh), Karun Nair (50 lakh), Pawan Negi (50 lakh), Sheldon Jackson (20 lakh), Venkatesh Iyer (20 lakh), Vaibhav Arora (20 lakh)

Kolkata Knight Riders squad for IPL 2021

Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Rahul Tripathi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Pat Cummins, Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Tim Seifert, Shakib Al Hasan, Harbhajan Singh, Ben Cutting, Karun Nair, Pawan Negi, Sheldon Jackson, Venkatesh Iyer, Vaibhav Arora.

Also Read: Here is everything you need to know about IPL 2021