One of the most glamourous teams in the Indian Premier League, the Kolkata Knight Riders will be looking to claim top spot in the 2023 edition of the competition.
The Knight Riders are one of the founding teams of the IPL and featured in the first ever game of the tournament way back in 2008, a game many fans won't forget in a hurry.
Now England coach and former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum smashed his way to 158 not out of 73 balls, which included 10 fours and 13 sixes, in a 140-run hammering of Royal Challengers Bangalore.
KKR IPL STATS
| Season | Match | Won | Lost | NR | Win % | Tied | Pos | |
| 2008 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 43% | 0 | 6 | |
| 2009 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 21% | 0 | 8 | |
| 2010 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 50% | 0 | 6 | |
| 2011 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 53% | 0 | 4 | |
| 2012 | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 67% | 0 | Winners | |
| 2013 | 16 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 38% | 0 | 7 | |
| 2014 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 69% | 0 | Winners | |
| 2015 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 50% | 0 | 5 | |
| 2016 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 53% | 0 | 4 | |
| 2017 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 56% | 0 | 4 | |
| 2018 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 56% | 0 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 43% | 0 | 5 | |
| 2020 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 43% | 1 | 6 | |
| 2021 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 53% | 0 | 4 | |
| 2022 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 43% | 0 | - | |
| Total | 113 | 109 | 4 | 1 | 2 X Champions |
The team has also been bolstered by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan owning half of the esteemed franchise. The purple army call Eden Gardens, Kolkata, home with a raging capacity of 68,000.
Last season was a bit of a let-down for fans of the Knight Riders, who finished seventh with six wins and eight losses. The side know what the pinnacle of IPL tastes like after being crowned champions in 2012 and 2014.
The Knight Riders faced a tough loss to the Chennai Super Kings in the 2021 tournament, where they lost in the final going down by 27 runs.
Kolkata head into IPL 2023 with a stable core and the addition of three new players Shakib Al Hasan, Mandeep Singh and Litton Das.
Shakib is no stranger to the IPL or the Knight Riders. The left-armer had a stint with the Kolkata-based side from 2011-17 and again in the 2021 season, providing assistance with bat and ball to bolster the KKR middle order. Shakib has taken 63 wickets at an average of 29 in his 71 IPL matches. The Bangladeshi all-rounder can also help boost the run-rate with a strike-rate of 124 at an average just under 20.
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KKR SQUAD 2023
| Shreyas Iyer (c) | Batter | 28 | INR 12.25 crores | India |
| Narayan Jagadeeshan | Wicketkeeper-batter | 27 | INR 90 lakhs | India |
| David Wiese | All-rounder | 37 | INR 1 crore | Namibia |
| Kulwant Khejroliya | Bowler | 31 | INR 20 lakhs | India |
| Suyash Sharma | Bowler | 19 | INR 20 lakhs | India |
| Harshit Rana | Bowler | 21 | INR 20 lakhs | India |
| Venkatesh Iyer | All-rounder | 28 | INR 8 crores | India |
| Sunil Narine | Bowling all-rounder | 34 | INR 6 crores | West Indies |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Wicketkeeper-batter | 21 | INR 50 lakhs | Afghanistan |
| Nitish Rana | Batter | 29 | INR 8 crores | India |
| Anukul Roy | All-rounder | 24 | INR 20 lakhs | India |
| Andre Russell | All-rounder | 34 | INR 12 crores | West Indies |
| Rinku Singh | Batter | 25 | INR 55 lakhs | India |
| Tim Southee | Bowler | 34 | INR 1.5 crores | New Zealand |
| Shardul Thakur | Bowler | 31 | INR 10.75 crores | India |
| Varun Chakravarthy | Bowler | 31 | INR 8 crores | India |
| Umesh Yadav | Bowler | 35 | INR 2 crores | India |
| Vaibhav Arora | All-rounder | 25 | INR 60 lakhs | India |
| Mandeep Singh | Batter | 31 | INR 50 Lakhs | India |
| Litton Das | Wicketkeeper-batter | 28 | INR 50 Lakhs | Bangladesh |
| Shakib Al Hasan | All-rounder | 35 | INR 1.5 crore | Bangladesh |
Captain Shreyas Iyer, who played his role with the bat last season averaging just a touch under 31, is doubtful for the first half of the tournament with a back injury meaning Nitish Rana will deputise as skipper.
Veteran Andre Russell will once again don the purple as he continues his globe-trotting T20 charge.
Russell averaged 37.22 last season and was the side's highest run-scorer. He will be looking to take a more forward approach this season especially in the early stages of the season with Iyer missing.
Another big miss for the Knight Riders is Australia captain Pat Cummins, who has opted to miss the tournament this year to focus on the jam-packed England tour for the Ashes and a World Test Championship.
Indian quick Umesh Yadav will be hoping to continue his good form this season. Yadav picked up 16 wickets in 2022 and had best figures of 4-23 against the Punjab Kings.
Yadav and New Zealand Test captain Tim Southee will take the reins with the new ball to headline the pace attack.
West Indies international Sunil Narine will also buddy up with new recruit Shakib to enforce the spin frontier.
The Knight Riders first game will be against the Punjab Kings on April 1 in Mohali before they return home to face the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday April 6.
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KKR IPL SCHEDULE
| Apr 01 | Punjab Kings | |
| Apr 06 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | |
| Apr 09 | Gujarat Titans | |
| Apr 14 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | |
| Apr 16 | Mumbai Indians | |
| Apr 20 | Delhi Capitals | |
| Apr 23 | Chennai Super Kings | |
| Apr 26 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | |
| Apr 29 | Gujarat Titans | |
| May 04 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | |
| May 08 | Punjab Kings | |
| May 11 | Rajasthan Royals | |
| May 14 | Chennai Super Kings | |
| May 20 | Lucknow Super Giants | |
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