Kolkata Knight Riders facts for kids
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| League | Indian Premier League | |
|---|---|---|
| Personnel | ||
| Captain | Shreyas Iyer | |
| Coach | Chandrakant Pandit | |
| Owner | Shah Rukh Khan Juhi Chawla Jay Mehta |
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| Manager | Wayne Bentley | |
| Team information | ||
| City | Kolkata, West Bengal, India | |
| Founded | 24 January 2008 | |
| Home ground | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | |
| Capacity | 68,000 | |
| History | ||
| Indian Premier League wins | 3 (2012, 2014, 2024) | |
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| Knight Riders Group | |
|---|---|
| Current Teams | |
Kolkata Knight Riders (2008–present) X 3 (2012, 2014, 2024)Trinbago Knight Riders (2015–present) X 4 (2015, 2017, 2018, 2020)Trinbago Knight Riders Women (2022–present) X 1 (2022)Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (2023–present) Los Angeles Knight Riders (2023–present) |
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| Defunct Teams | |
| Cape Town Knight Riders (2017) |
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are a professional cricket team. They represent the city of Kolkata in the Indian Premier League (IPL). This team is owned by famous Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, actress Juhi Chawla, and her husband Jay Mehta. Their home stadium is the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
KKR is very popular because of its celebrity owners. They first reached the IPL playoffs in 2011. KKR won the IPL championship in 2012 by beating Chennai Super Kings. They won again in 2014 against Kings XI Punjab. In 2024, they won their third IPL title by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad. KKR holds the record for the longest winning streak in IPL history, with 14 wins in a row.
Gautam Gambhir has scored the most runs for the team. Sunil Narine has taken the most wickets. The team's motto is Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo, which means we will perform, fight, and win! Their official colors are purple and gold.
Contents
How the Team Started
In 2007, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) created the Indian Premier League. This cricket tournament uses the Twenty20 game format. Eight teams joined the first tournament in 2008.
Teams for eight different Indian cities were sold in an auction. The team for Kolkata was bought by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan's company, Red Chillies Entertainment. He partnered with actress Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta. They paid about $75.09 million for the team. Sourav Ganguly, a former captain of the Indian national team and from West Bengal, was named the team's "Icon player." The team's name, Knight Riders, comes from the popular 1980s American TV show Knight Rider.
Team Value
In 2022, Forbes magazine said that the Kolkata Knight Riders were the 3rd most valuable team in the IPL. They were worth $1.1 billion. Only MI and CSK were valued higher.
Team Colors and Look
When the Kolkata Knight Riders started in 2008, their logo was a golden Viking helmet on a black background. The team's name was written in gold next to it. In the third season, the black background changed to purple.
In 2012, they introduced the current logo. It shows a purple Corinthian helmet with gold trim. The words "Kolkata Knight Riders" are written inside a shield.
The team's first tagline was "All the King's Men." In the fifth season, it changed to "New Dawn, New Knights." The team's original colors were black and gold. Shah Rukh Khan said that gold meant the spirit of life, and black represented the goddess Kali. Later, the colors changed to purple and gold and have stayed that way. The team's jersey was designed by Bollywood fashion designer Manish Malhotra.
The team's main song, Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo Re, was created by the Vishal–Shekhar music duo. There was also a Knight Riders music album with singers like Usha Uthup and Bappi Lahiri.
Team Rivalries
The Knight Riders have been a very successful team in the IPL. This success has led to some exciting rivalries with other teams.
KKR vs. Mumbai Indians
Both the Mumbai Indians and the Kolkata Knight Riders play in big cities. The Mumbai Indians have won the IPL five times, making them the most successful team. For a while, both teams had two championships each.
In the first two IPL seasons, Mumbai won all four games against Kolkata. Kolkata finally beat Mumbai in the 2010 IPL Season. Both teams have been led by famous Indian cricket captains: Sachin Tendulkar for Mumbai and Sourav Ganguly for Kolkata. Mumbai has usually won more games in this rivalry, with 22 wins compared to Kolkata's 11. They have also played each other twice in the playoffs.
In 2011, they met in the playoffs for the first time. Mumbai won that game. In 2012, KKR eliminated MI from the playoffs. KKR then went on to win their first championship that season.
In 2017, Mumbai beat KKR to get their 100th T20 win. Later that season, Mumbai also beat KKR in the playoffs. Mumbai then won their third championship.
From 2015 to 2018, Mumbai Indians had an eight-game winning streak against KKR. KKR broke this streak on April 29, 2019, by scoring 232 runs and winning by 34 runs. This was KKR's 100th T20 win. Since then, Mumbai has won all three games between them.
In the 2022 and 2024 seasons, Kolkata beat Mumbai in all their matches.
KKR vs. Royal Challengers Bengaluru
The rivalry between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) is one of the oldest in the IPL. They played in the very first IPL match. KKR won that game by 140 runs, thanks to Brendon McCullum's amazing 158 runs.
In IPL 2009, RCB won both times they played KKR. In the 2012 IPL, KKR needed to win a crucial match against RCB. KKR's captain, Gautam Gambhir, scored 93 runs to help his team win.
In the 2015 IPL, a match between them was shortened to 10 overs due to rain. Andre Russell scored 45 runs for KKR. Even though RCB started strong, KKR's bowlers helped them win.
In the 2017 IPL, RCB was bowled out for only 49 runs against KKR. This was the lowest score in IPL history. Later that season, Sunil Narine scored the fastest fifty in IPL history (at that time) against RCB. KKR easily chased down RCB's target.
In 2019 IPL, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers scored many runs for RCB. But Andre Russell scored 48 runs off just 13 balls for KKR, helping them win a close game. In their next match, Virat Kohli scored a century for RCB, and they won by 10 runs.
KKR's Home Ground
The Knight Riders play their home games at Eden Gardens. This stadium is owned by the Cricket Association of Bengal. It used to be the largest cricket stadium in India, holding over 90,000 people.
In 2011, the stadium was updated for the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Its capacity was reduced to about 68,000. The updated stadium has new facilities for players and a new clubhouse. In 2013, KKR played two home matches at the JSCA International Cricket Stadium in Ranchi.
Team Sponsors and Kit Makers
Nokia was the first main sponsor of the Kolkata Knight Riders from 2008 to 2014. In 2015, Chinese phone maker Gionee became the main sponsor for three years. In 2018, Nokia returned as the main sponsor.
Many other companies have been sponsors or partners over the years. These include Star Plus, Reebok, Kit Kat, Asian Paints, Uber, Pepsi, and Colgate.
In 2020, MPL became the main sponsor. In 2022, the Esports app WinZO Sports was the main sponsor. For the 2023 season, MyFab11, a fantasy sports app, was the main sponsor. As of 2024, Dream11 and BKT Tyres are the main shirt sponsors. They also have other partners like Jio and Manipal Hospitals.
Reebok made the team's kits from 2008 to 2013. From 2014, U.S. Polo Assn. made the kits. In 2021, Indian clothing brand WROGN ACTIVE became the official merchandise partner.
| Year | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor (chest) | Shirt sponsor (back) | Chest branding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Reebok | Nokia | HDIL | Reebok |
| 2009 | StarPlus | |||
| 2010 | XXX Energy Drink | |||
| 2011 | Matrix | |||
| 2012 | Rose Valley | |||
| 2013 | ||||
| 2014 | U.S. Polo Assn. | Sansui | U.S. Polo Assn. | |
| 2015 | Gionee | |||
| 2016 | Jio | |||
| 2017 | ||||
| 2018 | Nokia | |||
| 2019 | ||||
| 2020 | MPL | Lux Cozi | ||
| 2021 | Wrogn | Unacademy | ||
| 2022 | WinZO | |||
| 2023 | MyFab11 | BKT | ||
| 2024 | playR | Dream11 |
Team Players
Sourav Ganguly, a former captain of the Indian cricket team, was the first "icon player" and captain for KKR in 2008 and 2010. Brendon McCullum led the team in between. Both captains left before the 2011 season.
In 2011, KKR made big changes to their team. They did not buy Sourav Ganguly back. Instead, they bought Gautam Gambhir for a record $2.4 million and made him captain. They also added players like Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Jacques Kallis, and Brett Lee.
In the 2012 auction, KKR brought back Brendon McCullum. They also got West Indian spinner Sunil Narine and South African fast bowler Marchant de Lange.
Before the 2014 auction, KKR kept only Gautam Gambhir and Sunil Narine. They used special cards to bring back Jacques Kallis and Yusuf Pathan. New international players included Morne Morkel, Patrick Cummins, and Chris Lynn. Important Indian players bought were Robin Uthappa, Umesh Yadav, and Manish Pandey.
In 2018, KKR kept only Sunil Narine and Andre Russell. Their two-time winning captain, Gautam Gambhir, was released. They bought back Robin Uthappa, Piyush Chawla, and Kuldeep Yadav. They also added new players like Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, and Rinku Singh. Dinesh Karthik became the new captain for IPL 2018, with Robin Uthappa as vice-captain.
Before IPL 2020, KKR bought fast bowler Pat Cummins for a very high price. They also bought Eoin Morgan, who had just led England to win the World Cup. On October 16, 2020, Dinesh Karthik gave the captaincy to Eoin Morgan.
For the 2022 "mega auction," KKR kept four players: Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, and Venkatesh Iyer. They then bought Shreyas Iyer for a lot of money and made him captain. They also brought back Pat Cummins, Nitish Rana, and Umesh Yadav.
Team Captains
Last updated: May 26, 2024
| Player | From | To | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Win% | Best Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Sourav Ganguly |
2008 | 2010 | 27 | 13 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 44.44 | 6/8 (2008,2010) |
 Brendon McCullum |
2009 | 2009 | 13 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 23.07 | 8/8 (2009) |
| Gautam Gambhir |
2011 | 2017 | 122 | 69 | 59 | 1 | 1 | 56.55 | W (2012,2014) |
 Jacques Kallis |
2011 | 2011 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50 | Stand-In |
| Dinesh Karthik |
2018 | 2020 | 37 | 19 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 51.35 | 3rd (2018) |
 Eoin Morgan |
2020 | 2021 | 24 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 45.83 | Runners up (2021) |
| Shreyas Iyer |
2022 | Present | 28 | 16 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 55.55 | W (2024) |
| Nitish Rana |
2023 | 2023 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 42.85 | 7/10 (2023) |
Team Seasons
Indian Premier League
| Season | League standing | Final standing |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 6th out of 8 | League stage |
| 2009 | 8th out of 8 | League stage |
| 2010 | 6th out of 8 | League stage |
| 2011 | 4th out of 10 | Playoffs |
| 2012 | 2nd out of 9 | Champions |
| 2013 | 7th out of 9 | League stage |
| 2014 | 2nd out of 8 | Champions |
| 2015 | 5th out of 8 | League stage |
| 2016 | 4th out of 8 | Playoffs |
| 2017 | 3rd out of 8 | Playoffs |
| 2018 | 3rd out of 8 | Playoffs |
| 2019 | 5th out of 8 | League stage |
| 2020 | 5th out of 8 | League stage |
| 2021 | 4th out of 8 | Runners-up |
| 2022 | 7th out of 10 | League stage |
| 2023 | 7th out of 10 | League stage |
| 2024 | 1st out of 10 | Champions |
Champions League T20
| Season | League standing | Final standing |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 5th out of 10 | League stage |
| 2012 | 6th out of 10 | League stage |
| 2013 | DNQ | |
| 2014 | 2nd out of 10 | Runners-up |
Current Squad
Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024
Team Management
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| CEO and Managing Director | Venky Mysore |
| Team manager | Wayne Bentley |
| Mentor | Gautam Gambhir |
| Head coach | Chandrakant Pandit |
| Assistant coach | Abhishek Nayar |
| Ryan ten Doeschate | |
| Bowling coach | Bharat Arun |
| Spin Bowling coach | Carl Crowe |
| Analyst | Nathan Leamon |
| Strength and conditioning coach | Chris Donaldson |
| Physiotherapist | Prasanth Panchada |
- Source: KKR Players
Team Statistics
Overall IPL Results
Updated as of May 26, 2024
| Year | Played | Wins | Losses | Tied | NR | Win % | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 46.16 | 6/8 |
| 2009 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 23.07 | 8/8 |
| 2010 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 | 6/8 |
| 2011 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 53.33 | 4/10 |
| 2012 | 18 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 70.58 | 1/9 |
| 2013 | 16 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 37.50 | 7/9 |
| 2014 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 68.75 | 1/8 |
| 2015 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 53.84 | 5/8 |
| 2016 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 53.33 | 4/8 |
| 2017 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 56.25 | 3/8 |
| 2018 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 56.25 | 3/8 |
| 2019 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 42.86 | 5/8 |
| 2020 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 | 5/8 |
| 2021 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 52.94 | 2/8 |
| 2022 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 42.85 | 7/10 |
| 2023 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 42.85 | 7/10 |
| 2024 | 16 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 78.57 | 1/10 |
| Total | 257 | 131 | 120 | 0 | 6 | 52.19 |
- Games that ended with "no result" are counted as NR.
- Wins or losses decided by a super over or boundary count are included.
Source: ESPNcricinfo
Results Against Other Teams
Updated as of May 26, 2024
| Opposition | Span | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chennai Super Kings | 2008–2015; 2018–present | 29 | 10 | 19 | 0 | 34.48 |
| Delhi Capitals | 2008–present | 33 | 18 | 15 | 0 | 54.54 |
| Mumbai Indians | 2008–present | 34 | 11 | 23 | 0 | 32.35 |
| Punjab Kings | 2008–present | 33 | 21 | 12 | 0 | 63.63 |
| Rajasthan Royals | 2008–2015; 2018–present | 28 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 2008–present | 34 | 20 | 14 | 0 | 58.82 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 2013–present | 28 | 19 | 9 | 0 | 67.85 |
| Gujarat Titans | 2022–present | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Lucknow Super Giants | 2022–present | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 40.00 |
| Deccan Chargers | 2008–2012 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 77.78 |
| Kochi Tuskers Kerala | 2011 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Pune Warriors India | 2011–2013 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 80.00 |
| Gujarat Lions | 2016–2017 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 25.00 |
| Rising Pune Supergiant | 2016–2017 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75.00 |
Legend:
- Team now defunct
Champions League Twenty20 Results
| Year | Matches | Wins | Losses | No result | % win | % Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 50.00 | 5/10 (13) |
| 2012 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 33.33 | 6/10 (14) |
| 2014 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 83.33 | 2/10 (14) |
| Total | 16 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 60.00 |
| Opposition | Span | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | No result | % win |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Warriors | 2011 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Dolphins | 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Hobart Hurricanes | 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Lahore Lions | 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Nashua Titans | 2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Perth Scorchers | 2012–2014 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100.00 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 2011 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Auckland Aces | 2011–2012 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Chennai Super Kings | 2014 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Delhi Capitals | 2012 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Somerset Sabres | 2011 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| South Australia Redbacks | 2011 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Most Runs Each Season
| Year | Player | Runs | Orange Cap Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Sourav Ganguly | 349 | 13 |
| 2009 | Brad Hodge | 365 | 6 |
| 2010 | Sourav Ganguly | 493 | 4 |
| 2011 | Jacques Kallis | 424 | 10 |
| 2012 | Gautam Gambhir | 590 | 2 |
| 2013 | 406 | 17 | |
| 2014 | Robin Uthappa | 630 | 1 |
| 2015 | 364 | 16 | |
| 2016 | Gautam Gambhir | 501 | 4 |
| 2017 | 498 | 2 | |
| 2018 | Dinesh Karthik | 498 | 9 |
| 2019 | Andre Russell | 510 | 5 |
| 2020 | Shubman Gill | 440 | 12 |
| 2021 | 478 | 8 | |
| 2022 | Shreyas Iyer | 401 | 16 |
| 2023 | Rinku Singh | 474 | 9 |
| 2024 | Sunil Narine | 488 | 9 |
Most Wickets Each Season
| Year | Player | Wickets | Purple Cap Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Umar Gul | 12 | 17 |
| 2009 | Ishant Sharma | 11 | 18 |
| 2010 | Murali Karthik | 9 | 25 |
| 2011 | Iqbal Abdulla | 16 | 7 |
| 2012 | Sunil Narine | 24 | 2 |
| 2013 | 22 | 6 | |
| 2014 | 21 | 2 | |
| 2015 | Andre Russell | 14 | 14 |
| 2016 | 15 | 10 | |
| 2017 | Chris Woakes | 17 | 6 |
| 2018 | Sunil Narine | 17 | 8 |
| 2019 | Andre Russell | 11 | 23 |
| 2020 | Varun Chakravarthy | 17 | 9 |
| 2021 | 18 | 8 | |
| 2022 | Andre Russell | 17 | 13 |
| 2023 | Varun Chakravarthy | 20 | 8 |
| 2024 | 21 | 2 |
Knight Riders Around the World
The Kolkata Knight Riders are part of a bigger group called the Knight Riders Group (KRG). This group owns cricket teams in other leagues around the world.
- They own the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League and the Women's Caribbean Premier League.
- They own the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the International League T20 in the UAE.
- They own the Los Angeles Knight Riders in the Major League Cricket in the USA.
In 2015, the KKR owners bought a share in the Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel team. They renamed it the Trinbago Knight Riders in 2016. In 2020, the group also invested in the American T20 league, Major League Cricket.
The KRG also planned to have a team in South Africa's T20 Global League. However, that league was later cancelled. In 2021, the KRG CEO, Venky Mysore, said they wanted to invest in England's new cricket competition, The Hundred, but this plan did not happen. Other IPL teams have also started to own teams in cricket leagues outside India. In 2022, the Knight Riders Group announced they would build a 10,000-seat stadium in Los Angeles for their team there.
See also
In Spanish: Kolkata Knight Riders para niños
- Trinbago Knight Riders
- Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
- Los Angeles Knight Riders
Images for kids
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The official logo of the Kolkata Knight Riders.
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A simple gold cup, representing a championship win.
