The IPL score table has been buzzing with excitement ever since the restart of the Indian Premier League in the United Arab Emirates. Cricket news all across the internet has been going gaga over the resurgence of the Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan owned Kolkata Knight Riders. The Kolkata-based franchise had a dismal run in the first half of the Indian Premier League, having only two wins out of seven games. They were languishing at the second last position with four points on the IPL score table. However, the Eoin Morgan-led Kolkata Knight Riders managed to turn things around in a spectacular manner in the second phase of the IPL as they used the break to their advantage. Before we discuss this, let us get an understanding of the team, the key players, and the full squad.
Kolkata Knight Riders have been a big name ever since the inception of the Indian Premier League. Being purchased in the inaugural auction of teams by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, the team has always been renowned for its flamboyance and relentless marketing. The superstar has hundreds of millions of fans across the globe, and they all automatically began supporting the side ever since the news of him purchasing the team broke out.
The team was led by the pride of Kolkata, the Bengal Tiger, and a few other names by which Sourav Ganguly is known. The former Indian captain, who himself had a strong following, added to the already existing fan base for the Kolkata Knight Riders. The team debuted in Black and Gold as its official colors and set ablaze the Indian Premier League in 2008 in the very first game of the Indian Premier League. Brendon McCullum, the then New Zealand Wicket Keeper Batsman, scored an unbelievable 158 not out in just 73 balls against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Incidentally, McCullum is now the coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Though that game did make Kolkata Knight Riders a force to reckon with, the hype did not last for long as the team’s patchy performance did become a major concern, and the side finished only 6th out of the 8 in the season.
In 2009, the Kolkata Knight Riders found themselves in new territory, with the Indian Premier League being hosted in the country of South Africa. It is here that the team put up their worst ever performance in a season by winning just 3 out 14 league games and ended up being last on the IPL score table.
The 2010 season came with some promise as the team had a brand new logo and color scheme of purple and gold. The performance also improved, and though the team again finished 6th out of the 8 teams, the only reason they missed out on a qualification spot was due to their poor net run rate.
The 2011 season saw the team undergo a complete overhaul, and Sourav Ganguly exited the franchise. Gautam Gambhir took charge of the Kolkata Knight Riders as the most expensive player in the league. The side immediately showed improvement and made it to the semi-finals in the presence of not just 8 but 10 teams in the league.
However, the best years of the Kolkata Knight Riders came in 2012 and 2014 when the side won the championship under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir. The side etched their names in history and then tied the record of Chennai Super Kings for having two titles each.
Cricket news was abuzz when the Kolkata Knight Riders did not qualify for the playoffs in 2013, 2015, 2019, and 2020.
In 2021, the Kolkata Knight Riders’ side looks lethal as ever and, despite some initials hiccups, managed to reach the final where they lost to the Chennai Super Kings. The squad boasts of talented players like,
- Venkatesh Iyer
- Shubhman Gill
- Rahul Tripathi
- Nitish Rana
- Andre Russell
- Dinesh Karthik
- Eoin Morgan
- Sunil Narine
- Tim Southee
- Shakib Al Hassan
- Lockie Ferguson
- Ben Cutting
- Tim Seifert
- Harbhajan Singh
- Prasidh Krishna
- Varun Chakravarthy
- Kamlesh Nagarkoti
- Pawan Negi
- Gurkeerat Mann Singh
- Pat Cummins
- Sheldon Jackson
- Karun Nair
- Vaibhav Arora
- Sandeep Warrier
- Shivam Mavi
With Brendon McCullum handling the coaching duties and having support from the likes of David Hussey and Abhishek Nayar, the team is bound to make a strong case in the next IPL too. For further cricket news and score table details, log on to sportscafe.in.