Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders cricket team: competitions
Kolkata Knight Riders: Twenty20 Cricket Competitions
Logo Tournament Wins Years
Kolkata Knight Riders: Current Squad
Kolkata Knight Riders cricket team: Indian club
This team is one of the most popular in the Indian Premier League, IPL. The increased interest in Kolkata Knight Riders is manifested because famous Bollywood actors from India own the club’s franchise: Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla and Juhi’s husband, businessman Jay Mehta. The Knight Riders have won the IPL Indian Premier League twice. At the moment, the head coach of the team is Brendon McCullum. The New Zealand native was a team player from 2008 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2013.
Kolkata Knight Riders: history of creation and first results
The Kolkata-based club was bought at auction in 2008 by Red Chillies Entertainment. One of its founders and head is the famous actor Shah Rukh Khan. He invited a famous couple in Bollywood – Juhi Chawla and Jay Mehta as partners. The franchise had to pay $ 75.09 million. One of the first star players with whom Purple and Gold (the club’s nickname) signed a contract was Sourav Ganguly. He was the former captain of the Indian national cricket team. At this time, the player was at the end of his career. Nevertheless, he successfully played for the new team for three seasons. Sourav Ganguly is the current President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. He took this position in 2019.
The name of the team is also interesting. Who would be surprised that the owner, represented by the actor, named it after one of the famous TV series? “Knight Rider” is a popular painting in the USA in the 80s of the 20th century. The official colors of the Kolkata club are purple and gold. Continuing the conversation about the team’s owners, we note that in 2015 Shah Rukh Khan and partners bought out a stake in Tobago Red Steel. Thus, in 2016 the name of the team from Trinidad and Tobago was changed – Trinbago Knight Riders. It competed in the Caribbean Premier League. Its trainer was Brendon McCullum, who led the Kolkata Knight Riders. Several players play for both teams. For example, Sunil Narine from the Trinidad and Tobago. Since 2020, the Trinbago Knight Riders are also featured in Major League Cricket.
In their debut season in the IPL of the Indian Premier League, the team from Calcutta was seen as one of the favorites, but in reality, it turned out differently. After winning the first two matches, Purple and Gold lost four in a row. The Kolkata Knight Riders then pulled themselves together and won three straight wins. True, then three defeats followed again. One of them was from the Mumbai Indians – later one of the most principled opponents. In 2008, the Knight Riders were unable to compete, running 67 fewer runs. This is a very poor indicator. Not the best results did not prevent the Kolkata team from making good money for the team in the first season in the Indian Premier League IPL. So, thanks to advertising campaigns, the team increased its budget by $ 1.8 million.
Kolkata Knight Riders: IPL performance history
The Kolkata Knight Riders made their first playoffs in 2011. Then in the top four, Purple and Gold appeared five more times. The most unfortunate period in the history of the Kolkata club was the 2009 season when it finished last in the standings.
The fourth place in the 2011 season was received with great satisfaction by the management of Kolkata Knight Riders. By that time, the number of participants in the Indian Premier League IPL had reached the maximum number of 10. In the offseason, Purple and Gold have significantly strengthened their squad. Thus, Gautam Gambhir joined the ranks of the team, which was purchased for $ 2.4 million. We also note the acquisition of Yusuf Pathan (for $ 2.1 million). At the same time, the Kolkata Knight Riders suffered two defeats at the start. Then the club managed to pull together and finish in fourth place in the regular season. In the first playoff match, the Kolkata Knight Riders faced off against the Mumbai Indians. By this time, the confrontation between the teams had become one of the most interesting in India. True, the club from Mumbai won much more often. This match was no exception, although the opponent’s advantage was only four wickets.
The Kolkata Knight Riders continued to progress in 2012. In the regular season, the team from Kolkata got back in shape during the championship. For example, Purple and Gold beat the Mumbai Indians away in one of the last matches. As a result, the Knight Riders advanced from second place to the playoffs. In the first qualifying match, the club beat Delhi Daredevils, the leader of that season, by running 18 more runs. In the final, the team’s rival was the Chennai Super Kings. The match turned out to be stubborn. However, with a difference of five wickets, the representatives of Calcutta turned out to be better. It is noteworthy that the current head coach of the Brendon McCullum team failed to play in an important match. He was not included in the application due to the exhaustive limit of legionnaires.
Two years later, it was possible to prove that the first championship was not accidental. In the 2014 season, it finished second in the regular season. The Kings XI Punjab confidently won this segment. The teams faced each other in the first qualifying match. Opponents were considered favorites. In the group stage, the teams exchanged victories, but the success of the Kings XI Punjab was more convincing. The Kolkata Knight Riders looked better in the playoffs. In the first leg, the Calcutta team ran 28 more runs. In the final, a stubborn struggle ensued, but Purple and Gold still won with a difference of three wickets.
The Knight Riders consistently made the playoffs from 2016 to 2018. They took third place twice, once again – fourth.
Kolkata Knight Riders: interesting facts
The team plays home matches at the Eden Gardens stadium. It is owned by the Cricket Association of Bengal and has a capacity of 90,000 spectators. Here are some more interesting facts about the Kolkata Knight Riders:
- The popular show “Knights and Angels”, in which cricket was popularized, was popularised in Kolkata for several years.
- The official motto of the team is “New Dawn, New Knights”. Although at first, it was like: “All the King’s Men”.
The music album “Knight Riders” was recently created. Several famous singers and composers in India have participated in his recording, particularly Usha Uthup and Bappi Lahiri.
