Kolkata Knight Riders will be keen to make up for last season's failure to make the play-offs.
The Dinesh Karthik-led team looks quite strong on paper, especially in batting which features the dangerous Andre Russell along with Eoin Morgan, Tom Banton and rising India batting star Shubman Gill.
Mystery spinner Sunil Narine is more than useful as the opener throwing his bat around in the Powerplay.
The purchase of Pat Cummins for a whopping Rs 15.5 crore has bolstered the KKR bowling by leaps and bounds, as they also have the impressive Kiwi quick Lockie Ferguson along with a host of young Indian pacers in Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti.
The spin department could be a cause of worry as except for Narine and Kuldeep Yadav, the likes of M Siddharth and Varun Chakravarthy are woefully short on experience which could prove vital on the UAE pitches expected to aid the spinners.
Squad: Dinesh Karthik (captain), Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Tom Banton, Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Pat Cummins, Prasidh Krishna, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Rinku Singh, Ali Khan, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy, Siddhesh Lad, Chris Green, Manimaran Siddharth, Nikhil Naik.
Rajneesh Gupta presents Kolkata Knight Riders's IPL record over the years:
Result summary in each edition
| Year | Played | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Abd | Win% | W/L Ratio | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 46.15 | 0.85 | 6th |
| 2009 | 14 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 23.07 | 0.33 | 8th |
| 2010 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 | 1.00 | 6th |
| 2011 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53.33 | 1.14 | 4th |
| 2012 | 18 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 70.58 | 2.40 | 1st |
| 2013 | 16 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37.50 | 0.60 | 7th |
| 2014 | 16 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 68.75 | 2.75 | 1st |
| 2015 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 53.84 | 1.16 | 5th |
| 2016 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53.33 | 1.14 | 4th |
| 2017 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 56.25 | 1.28 | 3rd |
| 2018 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 56.25 | 1.28 | 3rd |
| 2019 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 42.85 | 0.85 | 5th |
Note: Kolkata Knight Riders’ matches vs Delhi Daredevils (in 2008), Chennai Super Kings (in 2009), Deccan Chargers (in 2012) and Rajasthan Royals (in 2015) were abandoned without a toss (included in the above tally for reference purpose).
Result summary for each opponent
| Vs | Played | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Win% | W/L Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chennai Super Kings | 20 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 35.00 | 0.53 |
| Deccan Chargers | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 77.77 | 3.50 |
| Delhi Capitals | 23 | 13 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 56.52 | 1.44 |
| Gujarat Lions | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 | 0.33 |
| Kings XI Punjab | 25 | 17 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 68.00 | 2.12 |
| Kochi Tuskers Kerala | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Mumbai Indians | 25 | 6 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 24.00 | 0.31 |
| Pune Warriors India | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 80.00 | 4.00 |
| Rajasthan Royals | 20 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 50.00 | 1.25 |
| Rising Pune Supergiant | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 75.00 | 3.00 |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | 24 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 58.33 | 1.40 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 17 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 58.82 | 1.42 |
Kolkata Knight Riders lost to Rajasthan Royals in 2009 and 2014; and to Delhi Capitals in 2019 in Super Over after a tie.
Highest Totals
| Score | Overs | Vs | Venue | Year | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 245-6 | 20 | Kings XI Punjab | Indore | 2018 | Won |
| 232-2 | 20 | Mumbai Indians | Kolkata | 2019 | Won |
| 222-3 | 20 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Bangalore | 2008 | Won |
| 218-4 | 20 | Kings XI Punjab | Kolkata | 2019 | Won |
| 206-5+ | 19.1 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Bangalore | 2019 | Won |
| 204-4 | 20 | Deccan Chargers | Hyderabad | 2008 | Won |
| 203-5+ | 20 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Kolkata | 2019 | Lost |
| 202-6 | 20 | Chennai Super Kings | Chennai | 2018 | Lost |
| 200-3 | 20 | Kings XI Punjab | Kolkata | 2010 | Lost |
| 200-7+ | 19.3 | Kings XI Punjab | Bangalore | 2014 | Won |
| 200-9 | 20 | Delhi Daredevils | Kolkata | 2018 | Won |
Lowest Totals
| Score | Overs | Vs | Venue | Year | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67 | 15.2 | Mumbai Indians | Mumbai WS | 2008 | Lost |
| 95 | 15.2 | Mumbai Indians | Port Elizabeth | 2009 | Lost |
| 101 | 19.4 | Deccan Chargers | Cape Town | 2009 | Lost |
| 105 | 18.2 | Mumbai Indians | Mumbai WS | 2013 | Lost |
| 107 | 18.5 | Mumbai Indians | Bangalore | 2017 | Lost |
| 108 | 18.1 | Mumbai Indians | Kolkata | 2018 | Lost |
| 108-9 | 20 | Chennai Super Kings | Chennai | 2019 | Lost |
| 109 | 19.2 | Chennai Super Kings | Kolkata | 2010 | Lost |
| 109 | 18.2 | Kings XI Punjab | Abu Dhabi | 2014 | Lost |
Highest Individual innings
| Score | Player | Vs | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 158* | BB McCullum | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Bangalore | 2008 |
| 97* | KD Karthik | Rajasthan Royals | Kolkata | 2019 |
| 94 | MK Pandey | Kings XI Punjab | Bangalore | 2014 |
| 93* | CA Lynn | Gujarat Lions | Rajkot | 2017 |
| 93 | G Gambhir | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Kolkata | 2012 |
| 92 | M Bisla | Chennai Super Kings | Chennai | 2013 |
| 91 | SC Ganguly | Deccan Chargers | Hyderabad | 2008 |
| 90* | G Gambhir | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Hyderabad | 2016 |
| 89 | M Bisla | Chennai Super Kings | Chennai | 2012 |
| 88* | AD Russell | Chennai Super Kings | Chennai | 2018 |
| 88 | SC Ganguly | Deccan Chargers | Kolkata | 2010 |
| 88 | CH Gayle | Kings XI Punjab | Kolkata | 2010 |
Leading Batsmen
| Batsmen | Mts | Inns | NO | Runs | Hs | Avg | SR | 100 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G Gambhir | 108 | 108 | 12 | 3035 | 93 | 31.61 | 124.28 | 0 | 27 |
| RV Uthappa | 86 | 84 | 4 | 2439 | 87 | 30.48 | 136.25 | 0 | 16 |
| YK Pathan | 106 | 91 | 31 | 1893 | 72 | 31.55 | 138.27 | 0 | 7 |
| AD Russell | 57 | 48 | 10 | 1342 | 88* | 35.31 | 188.74 | 0 | 8 |
| JH Kallis | 56 | 54 | 5 | 1295 | 80* | 26.42 | 106.76 | 0 | 7 |
| CA Lynn | 40 | 40 | 3 | 1274 | 93* | 34.43 | 141.39 | 0 | 10 |
| MK Pandey | 55 | 52 | 12 | 1270 | 94 | 31.75 | 125.12 | 0 | 6 |
| SC Ganguly | 40 | 38 | 2 | 1031 | 91 | 28.63 | 110.50 | 0 | 7 |
| MK Tiwary | 54 | 49 | 15 | 1002 | 75* | 29.47 | 111.70 | 0 | 4 |
| BB McCullum | 35 | 35 | 3 | 882 | 158* | 27.56 | 120.65 | 1 | 4 |
Best Bowling
| Bowling | Player | Vs | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5-19 | SP Narine | Kings XI Punjab | Kolkata | 2012 |
| 4-11 | Shoaib Akhtar | Delhi Daredevils | Kolkata | 2008 |
| 4-13 | SP Narine | Delhi Daredevils | Kolkata | 2013 |
| 4-15 | SP Narine | Mumbai Indians | Mumbai | 2012 |
| 4-18 | L Balaji | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Bangalore | 2012 |
| 4-19 | AD Mathews | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Kolkata | 2010 |
| 4-19 | SP Narine | Kings XI Punjab | Kolkata | 2015 |
| 4-20 | SP Narine | Mumbai Indians | Abu Dhabi | 2014 |
| 4-20 | SP Narine | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Kolkata | 2014 |
| 4-20 | AD Russell | Kings XI Punjab | Kolkata | 2016 |
| 4-20 | K Yadav | Rajasthan Royals | Kolkata | 2018 |
Leading Bowlers
| Bowler | Mts | Wkts | Avg | RPO | Best | 4I |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP Narine | 110 | 122 | 23.31 | 6.67 | 5-19 | 7 |
| PP Chawla | 70 | 66 | 27.80 | 8.21 | 4-32 | 1 |
| AD Russell | 57 | 54 | 24.24 | 8.71 | 4-20 | 1 |
| UT Yadav | 47 | 48 | 29.02 | 8.62 | 4-33 | 1 |
| Shakib Al Hasan | 43 | 43 | 25.60 | 7.17 | 3-17 | 0 |
| JH Kallis | 56 | 42 | 27.45 | 7.53 | 3-13 | 0 |
| K Yadav | 40 | 39 | 29.33 | 8.33 | 4-20 | 1 |
| L Balaji | 35 | 33 | 27.87 | 7.38 | 4-18 | 1 |
| M Morkel | 29 | 32 | 27.18 | 7.80 | 2-18 | 0 |
| R Bhatia | 46 | 32 | 29.09 | 7.21 | 3-22 | 0 |
Captains
| Mts | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Win% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G Gambhir | 108 | 61 | 46 | 1 | 0 | 56.94 |
| KD Karthik | 30 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 50.00 |
| SC Ganguly | 27 | 13 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 48.14 |
| BB McCullum | 13 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 26.92 |
Most Matches
| Mts | |
|---|---|
| SP Narine | 110 |
| G Gambhir | 108 |
| YK Pathan | 106 |
| RV Uthappa | 86 |
| PP Chawla | 70 |
| AD Russell | 57 |
| JH Kallis | 56 |
| MK Pandey | 55 |
| MK Tiwary | 54 |
| SA Yadav | 54 |
SEE: American Ali Khan touches down in UAE for IPL
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