Shah Rukh Khan is a co-owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), an Indian Premier League (IPL) team that is based in Kolkata. The renowned Eden Gardens is where KKR has its home games. However, all IPL teams will play their games at neutral sites in IPL 2021.
Additionally, owners of KKR include Juhi Chawla and others. Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo Re (we will perform, fight, and win!) is the team’s official anthem. Although the team’s affiliation with famous owners helped it become very well-known. Let us look at the KKR stats and records to know more about them.
KKR History
The history of KKR has been full of lows and highs. KKR was founded in 2008. The team’s captain was Sourav Ganguly, who hails from Kolkata. The name of the team was chosen after the well-known American television show Knight Rider from the 1980s.
Let us look at the journey of KKR in the following article.
The Initial Years
In the first-ever IPL match, Brendon McCullum scored 158* against Royal Challengers Bangalore. KKR failed to duplicate their first-game heroics and finished the tournament in sixth place.
In 2009 the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly was terminated. Capt. Brendon McCullum took over the helm. KKR had another terrible season, this time finishing last.
The Knight Riders’ leader, Sourav Ganguly, was given his position back. Once more, the team came in sixth. Sourav Ganguly was replaced in 2011 by Delhi-born Gautam Gambhir as the captain. Fans criticized this choice harshly. After making it all the way through the playoffs, KKR came in fourth.
The winning turn
Finally, in 2012, as KKR appeared to have found their rhythm, Sunil Narine shone throughout the season, taking up 24 wickets. The Knight Riders won their first IPL Championship under Gambhir’s leadership.
Despite continuing and increasing his heroics from the previous season in 2013, when he picked up 22 wickets, something went very wrong for the Riders.
KKR placed sixth in the competition despite a number of outstanding performances.
In the league stages of 2014, Robin Uthappa and Sunil Narine both excelled, with the former reaching 660 runs and the latter taking 21 wickets
After defeating KXIP, KKR won the IPL championship for the second time.
The tough times
The Knights were unable to successfully defend their title in 2015 because none of the big guns were shooting, and the captain, Gambhir, was in the worst shape of his career.
KKR came in fifth. The Knights made it to the playoffs, but their progress was halted, as they came in fourth place in 2016. In 2017, the Knights once again faced an upset in the second qualifier and were forced to finish third after cruising to the playoffs.
In 2018, Dinesh Karthik was named the team’s captain. KKR advanced to Qualifier 2, however they lost and were eliminated. KKR was placed third.
The recent years
The following season in 2019, KKR had a strong start but lost six straight games to lose that momentum. As KKR concludes the season in fifth place, this year turned out to be another letdown.
In the middle of the 2020 season, Dinesh Karthik handed the reins to Eoin Morgan, and KKR changed captains. Just a 0.042 Net Run Rate separated fifth-placed KKR from a playoff spot in the standings.
Shakib Al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Karun Nair, Harbhajan Singh, Ben Cutting, Venkatesh Iyer, and Pawan Negi were recent signings to KKR before the 2021 IPL.
Of all the IPL teams, Kolkata Knight Riders have the largest fan base. The crew definitely has a certain appeal, even though Shah Rukh Khan’s presence in the project is largely responsible for it.
KKR has unquestionably always been the most attractive of all the teams, gaining them a devoted following over the years. The Royals have certainly gone a long way from being the underdogs in the first IPL season to one of the most clapped-for teams in the IPL.
KKR Cricket Team Records
KKR is one of the finest teams to perform in the IPL or T20 league. Let us look at the best performance of KKR through statistics and records.
Team performance
| Opponent | Span | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied and won | Tied and lost | No Result | Win % |
| CSK | 2008–2015, 2018–2021 | 23 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34.78 |
| DC | 2008–2012 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 77.77 |
| DD | 2008–2021 | 26 | 16 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 58.76 |
| GL | 2016–2017 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| KTK | 2011 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| MI | 2008–2021 | 29 | 7 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23.42 |
| PWI | 2011–2013 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 80.00 |
| PBKS | 2008–2021 | 28 | 19 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67.85 |
| RR | 2008–2015, 2018–2021 | 24 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 56.52 |
| RPS† | 2016–2017 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75.00 |
| RCB | 2008–2021 | 28 | 15 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52.50 |
| SRH | 2013–2021 | 20 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 67.00 |
Team wins, losses, and draws
| Opponents | Span | Matches | Wins | Lost | Tied & won | Tied & lost | No Result | Win % |
| CSK | 2008–2015, 2018–2021 | 23 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34.78 |
| DC | 2008–2012 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 77.77 |
| DD | 2008–2021 | 26 | 16 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 58.76 |
| GL | 2016–2017 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| KTK | 2011 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| MI | 2008–2021 | 29 | 7 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23.42 |
| PWI | 2011–2013 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 80.00 |
| PBKS | 2008–2021 | 28 | 19 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67.85 |
| RR | 2008–2015, 2018–2021 | 24 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 56.52 |
| RPS | 2016–2017 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75.00 |
| RCB | 2008–2021 | 28 | 15 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52.50 |
| SRH | 2013–2021 | 20 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 67.00 |
Team Score
Highest Totals
| Totals | |||
| Score | Opposition | Venue | Date |
| 245/6 | PBKS | Holkar Stadium, Indore, India | 12 May 2018 |
| 232/2 | MI | Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India | 28 April 2019 |
| 222/3 | RCB | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, India | 18 April 2008 |
| 218/4 | PBKS | Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India | 27 March 2019 |
Lowest Totals
| Lowest Totals | |||
| Score | Opposition | Venue | Date |
| 67 | MI | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India | 16 May 2008 |
| 84/8 | RCB | Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, UAE | 21 October 2020 |
| 95 | MI | St George’s Park Cricket Ground, Port Elizabeth, South Africa | 27 April 2009 |
| 101 | DC | Newlands, Cape Town, South Africa | 19 April 2009 |
Individual Records (Batting)
Most runs
| Most run | |||||
| Rank | Runs | Player | Match | Innings | Period |
| 1 | 3,035 | Gautam Gambhir | 108 | 108 | 2011-2017 |
| 2 | 2,439 | Robin Uthappa | 86 | 84 | 2014-2019 |
| 3 | 1,893 | Yusuf Pathan | 106 | 91 | 2011-2017 |
| 4 | 1,622 | Andre Russell | 74 | 64 | 2014-2021 |
Highest individual score
| Rank | Runs | Player | Opposition | Venue | Date |
| 1 | 158* | Brendon McCullum | RCB | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, India | 18 April 2008 |
| 2 | 97* | Dinesh Karthik | RR | Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India | 25 April 2019 |
| 3 | 94 | Manish Pandey | PBKS | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, India | 1 June 2014 |
| 4 | 93* | Chris Lynn | GL | Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot, India | 7 April 2017 |
| 5 | 93 | Gautam Gambhir | RCB | Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India | 28 April 2012 |
Highest strike rates
| Rank | Strike rate | Player | Runs | Balls Faced | Period |
| 1 | 180.82 | Andre Russell | 1,622 | 897 | 2014-2021 |
| 2 | 161.64 | Sunil Narine | 902 | 558 | 2012-2021 |
| 3 | 142.29 | Dinesh Karthik | 1,043 | 733 | 2018-2021 |
| 4 | 141.59 | Chris Gayle | 463 | 327 | 2009-2010 |
| 5 | 141.39 | Chris Lynn | 1274 | 901 | 2014-2019 |
Most centuries
| Rank | Centuries | Player | Innings | Runs | Period |
| 1 | 1 | Brendon McCullum | 35 | 882 | 2008-2013 |
Now let us look at some in-match rivalries of KKR in the next section.
Rivalries
A match made in heaven is the rivalry between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore! It has advanced significantly from the very first game of the first IPL 2008 season and is now dominated by numerous records. Who could ever forget that?
With Brendon McCullum’s 158* and KKR’s dismissal of RCB for 82, the stage was set for the rivalry to develop over time. In season 1, both teams saw fairly similar outcomes, with KKR placing sixth and RCB placing seventh in the points standings..
Another highlighting rivalry between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings is a bliss to watch. In the Indian Premier League, there have been as many as 27 matches between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings (IPL).
Punjab has won 10 times, but when it comes to the head-to-head record, KKR has a significant advantage with 19 victories. It was practically neck-and-neck in the early years of the competition.
But Kolkata has dominated and established a significant lead since the year’s beginning.
KK Current Squad
The Kolkata Knight Riders significantly offset the loss of their important players by adding both veteran and young players to their roster at the IPL 2022 mega auction.
The Current Squad of KKR includes
Andre Russe [All-Rounder],
Varun Chakravarthy [Bowler],
Venkatesh Iyer [All-Rounder],
Sunil Narine [All-Rounder],
Pat Cummins[All-Rounder],
Shreyas Iyer [Batsmen],
Nitish Rana [Batsmen],
Shivam Mavi [Bowler],
Sheldon Jackson [Batsmen],
Ajinkya Rahane [Batsmen],
Rinku Singh [Batsmen],
Anukul Roy [All-Rounder],
Rasikh Dar [Bowler],
Indrajith [Batsmen],
Chamika Karunaratne [Bowler],
Abhijeet Tomar [Batsmen],
Pratham Singh [Batsmen],
Ashok Sharma [Bowler],
Sam Billings [Batsman/Wicket-keeper],
Alex Hales [Batsmen],
Tim Southee [Bowler],
Ramesh Kumar [Batsmen],
Mohammad Nabi [All-Rounder],
Umesh Yadav [Bowler],
Aman Khan [Batsmen].
After failing to win the IPL title last year, the Kolkata Knight Riders are now looking forward to reassembling their new team and having a significant influence on the 15th version of the prestigious competition.
