Kolkata Knight Riders Team 2023 Players List: Captain, Name, Retained Players
New season of IPL 2023 starts in a few weeks! And Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is one of the teams that has spared no effort in preparing for the upcoming tournament. It has appointed a new coach and captain, released most of the squad and bought 11 promising players from the IPL auction. The team from Kolkata has won twice but has never lifted the champion’s trophy in the last seven years. This time, it intends not just to make the playoffs but to fight for the Indian Premier League’s top trophy.
KKR Preview 2023
According to expert predictions, Kolkata Knight Riders stand a good chance of winning the third champions title in IPL 2023. There have been major changes in the squad as KKR has recruited some experienced players who are capable of making an impact in the 16th season of the tournament:
- Rinku Singh is a first-class left-arm batsman and off-spinner who is considered one of the best scorers in IPL history. Last year, he was awarded the Best Player of the Match award with a strike rate of 182.61 against Rajasthan Royals.
- Andre Russell is a world-class Jamaican all-rounder who has played over 300 T20 matches. He has been named as the best player in the 2015 IPL series. Russell will be a great support for the team’s other all-rounders, Shakib Al Hasan and Anukul Roy.
- Shreyas Santosh Iyer is an Indian cricketer who is doing well as a batsman. In his debut Test match against New Zealand, he scored over 100 runs in the second innings and became the first Indian to do so.
Chandrakant Pandit took over as coach in 2023, replacing most of the KKR squad. Strong spinners Suyash Sharma, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy play for the team and the wickets are reliably defended by experienced players Litton Das and N Jagadeesan. Strengthening the top and middle order is sure to pay dividends in the coming season.
About KKR
Kolkata Knight Riders is one of the most talked about teams in IPL, founded in 2008. The franchise is run in part by Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan, actress Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta. Home matches and training sessions are held at the Eden Gardens stadium, which has a capacity of 68,000.
The KKR team has gained immense popularity due to its stellar management. It is a two-time IPL champion, having won the titles in 2012 and 2014. Knight Riders all-time leading scorer was Gautam Gambhir. The official motto of the team is Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo Re!
| 🧾 Official name | Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) |
| 🌎 Country | India (Kolkata, West Bengal) |
| 📅 Date of establishment | 2008 |
| 🤵 Owner | Red Chillies Entertainment |
| 🏟️ Home stadium | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| 🏏 Coach | Chandrakant Pandit |
| 🧢 Captain | Shreyas Iyer |
| ✔️ IPL wins | 2012, 2014 |
Kolkata Knight Riders 2023 Players List
Kolkata Knight Riders was the team with the smallest wallet to take part in the mini auction with Rs 7.05 crore. It did not make a single purchase in the first 1.5 hours of bidding before winning the bid for Narayan Jagadeesan from its rival Chennai Super Kings. She also managed to attract Vaibhav Arora for just Rs 60 lakh.
After the auction, KKR unveiled the list of players who will take part in IPL 2023. It has 22 cricketers comprising eight foreigners and 14 Indians.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Team 2023 players list:
| Player | Role | Price |
|---|---|---|
| David Wiese | All-Rounder | 1 crore |
| Venkatesh Iyer | All-Rounder | 8 Crore |
| Anukul Roy | All-Rounder | 20 lakh |
| Andre Russell | All-Rounder | 12 Crore |
| Shakib Al Hasan | All-Rounder | 1.5 crore |
| Sunil Narine | All-Rounder | 6 Crore |
| Kulwant Khejroliya | Bowler | 20 lakh |
| Umesh Yadav | Bowler | 2 crore |
| Shardul Thakur | Bowler | 10.75 Crore |
| Suyash Sharma | Bowler | 20 lakh |
| Tim Southee | Bowler | 1.5 crore |
| Lockie Ferguson | Bowler | 10 Crore |
| Harshit Rana | Bowler | 20 lakh |
| Vaibhav Arora | Bowler | 60 lakh |
| Varun Chakravarthy | Bowler | 8 Crore |
| Mandeep Singh | Batsmen | 50 lakh |
| Shreyas Iyer (c) | Batsmen | 12.25 crore |
| N Jagadeesan | Batsmen | 90 lakh |
| Rinku Singh | Batsmen | 55 lakh |
| Nitish Rana | Batsmen | 8 crore |
| Litton Das | Wicket-keeper | 50 lakh |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Batsman/Wicket-keeper | 50 lakh |
Kolkata Knight Riders Captain
KKR chose Shreyas Iyer as their captain, spending ₹12.5 crore to buy him, making him the most expensive player for the team this season. The new skipper failed to succeed last year but will try to rectify the situation in the upcoming tournament. According to experts, last year’s failure was not so much due to Iyer’s failure as captain, but rather to the wrong balance of power in the team.
Shreyas Santosh Iyer is a 28-year-old batsman who made his IPL debut in February 2015. He was bought by Delhi Daredevils for $430,000, making him the highest paid player in the championship. In 14 matches, he scored 439 runs at an average of 33.76. In 2018, Shreyas took charge of the Delhi team, becoming the youngest captain in IPL history. Under his leadership, the team managed to beat KKR by a margin of 55 runs to win the tournament.
Due to a left shoulder injury, Shreyas Santosh Iyer missed half of the IPL 2021 season and returned to Delhi Daredevils after 6 months. In 2022, the Indian batsman was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for ₹ 12.25 crore.
KKR Squad 2023
KKR has retained only half the squad, saying goodbye to a total of 15 players. There are 11 vacancies in the squad, 3 of which are reserved for overseas cricketers. As per the auction rules, each IPL bidder can spend no more than ₹95 crore, which is ₹5 crore more than last year. Kolkata Knight Riders paid ₹87.95 crore to retain its players. It went into the auction with the most modest budget among all the teams at ₹7.95 crore.
Released Players
On the eve of the IPL 2023 auction, the team released 15 players. Each of them can end up in one of the other 9 teams. Below is the complete list of the released cricketers:
| Player | Price |
|---|---|
| Aman Khan | 20 lakh |
| Ashok Verma | 55 lakh |
| Pratham Singh | 20 lakh |
| Rasikh Salam | 20 lakh |
| Shivam Mavi | 7.25 crore |
| Alex Hales | 1.50 crore |
| Mohammad Nabi | 1 crore |
| Sam Billings | 2 crore |
| Abhijeet Tomar | 40 lakh |
| Ramesh Kumar | 20 lakh |
| Sheldon Jackson | 60 lakh |
| Chamika Karunaratne | 50 lakh |
| Pat Cummins | 7.25 crore |
| Baba Indrajith | 20 lakh |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 1 crore |
Retained Players
Kolkata Knight Riders have spent most of the money to retain 14 players from last season. They included:
| Player | Role | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Venkatesh Iyer | All-Rounder | 8 Crore |
| Sunil Narine | All-Rounder | 6 Crore |
| Anukul Roy | All-Rounder | 20 lakh |
| Andre Russell | All-Rounder | 12 Crore |
| Lockie Ferguson | Bowler | 10 Crore |
| Umesh Yadav | Bowler | 2 crore |
| Varun Chakravarthy | Bowler | 8 Crore |
| Tim Southee | Bowler | 1.5 crore |
| Shardul Thakur | Bowler | 10.75 Crore |
| Harshit Rana | Bowler | 20 lakh |
| Shreyas Iyer (c) | Batsmen | 12.25 crore |
| Rinku Singh | Batsmen | 55 lakh |
| Nitish Rana | Batsmen | 8 crore |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Batsman/Wicket-keeper | 50 lakh |
Kolkata Knight Riders: IPL Team History
The Kolkata-based team is a two-time IPL champion, having won the titles in 2012 and 2014. It showed a mediocre performance for the first few years but soon said goodbye to Sourav Ganguly, opting for the fearless Gautam Gambhir as helmsman. The results were not long in coming: in the 2011 season, KKR made the playoffs for the first time and a year later won the cup by beating Chennai Super Kings in the final. Cricketers Robin Uthappa and Sunil Narine were not least instrumental in winning the title.
After a year’s hiatus, the team rose to the podium again, becoming IPL champions for the second time. This time it beat Punjab by a wide margin on points. The next three seasons were promising and spectacular, but KKR failed again to top the overall standings and win the coveted trophy.
In 2018, the team bid farewell to Gambhir, who was replaced by Dinesh Karthik. That same year, it made the playoffs, finishing third in the tournament. Two years later, England’s Eoin Morgan became the captain and led KKR to the third final of the IPL.
Statistics and Facts about KKR in the IPL Tournament
During the 15 seasons played, Kolkata Knight Riders have made it past the qualifiers 7 times, in two of which they won the title. The team’s most consistent performances were from 2011 to 2018 inclusive.
KKR in the Indian Premier League:
| Season | Position in league | Final result |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 6 | Qualifying round |
| 2009 | 8 | Qualifying round |
| 2010 | 6 | Qualifying round |
| 2011 | 4 | Play-offs |
| 2012 | 2 | Champions |
| 2013 | 7 | Qualifying round |
| 2014 | 2 | Champions |
| 2015 | 5 | Qualifying round |
| 2016 | 4 | Play-offs |
| 2017 | 3 | Play-offs |
| 2018 | 3 | Play-offs |
| 2019 | 5 | Qualifying round |
| 2020 | 5 | Qualifying round |
| 2021 | 4 | 2nd place |
| 2022 | 7 | Qualifying round |
Summary of IPL results:
| Year | Matches played | Losses | Wins | Win percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 46.16 |
| 2009 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 23.07 |
| 2010 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 50.00 |
| 2011 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 53.33 |
| 2012 | 18 | 5 | 12 | 70.58 |
| 2013 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 37.50 |
| 2014 | 16 | 5 | 11 | 68.75 |
| 2015 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 53.84 |
| 2016 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 53.33 |
| 2017 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 56.25 |
| 2018 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 56.25 |
| 2019 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 42.86 |
| 2020 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 50.00 |
| 2021 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 52.94 |
| Total | 213 | 101 | 108 | 51.67 |
Kolkata Knight Riders Facts:
- The franchise has become popular thanks to the celebrated management in Juhi Chawla, Jay Mehta and Shah Rukh Khan;
- The team has won the Indian Premier League twice – in 2012 and 2014;
- KKR holds the record for the biggest win in IPL history as they outplayed Royal Challengers Bangalore by a margin of 140 rani in their opening match;
- Kolkata Knight Riders bought a stake in the Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel team, which was later renamed as Trinbago Knight Riders;
- Robin Uthappa is the only player on the team who managed to get an Orange Cap for a set of 660 rana;
- Andre Russell and Sunil Narine have twice been voted the IPL’s Most Valuable Players – in 2015/2019 and 2012/2018 respectively.
How to Bet on KKR in IPL 2023?
The Indian Premier League is the most popular cricket tournament in India and around the world. Fans can bet on different outcomes: winner of the match, over/under total, first innings win, best pitcher and batter. If you want to support your favourite team in season 16 of the IPL, then:
Step 1
Choose a betting platform and register by entering valid personal and contact details;
Step 2
Deposit your account by any available method, using bank card, e-wallet, cryptocurrency or voucher;
Step 3
View the spreadsheet of the match you are interested in and click on the odds of the proposed outcomes, indicating the type and size of the bet in the betting slip.
Kolkata Knight Riders Betting Tips
Andre Russell, Tim Southee and Sunil Narine are the top three players to bet on in IPL 2023. The ambitious and experienced trio showed great play last season, but their efforts were not enough to make the playoffs. It is likely that Sunil Narine and Andre Russell will repeat the successes of previous years and will again be recognised as the most valuable players in the championship.
Tim Southee is a stable KKR cricketer who is widely regarded as one of the fastest medium bowlers. If he is on the field in 2023, he could boost the team’s performance. He is quite capable of becoming the best pitcher of Kolkata Knight Riders.
Kolkata Knight Riders BETTING ODDS FOR IPL 2023
The two-time IPL winners boast of three top T20 cricketers. If they take the field in their best form, KKR will have every chance of winning their third league cup. However, it has been seven seasons since the team’s last win, so some experts consider their playoff appearance in 2021 as more of a fluke than a result of brilliant play.
Shreyas Iyer has been an excellent captain for Delhi, but has failed to prove himself while playing for KKR. As such, the odds on the team winning the upcoming tournament are 11.0. Such a low figure is due to their poor performance in IPL 2022 where they failed to make it past the qualifying stage.
Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2023 SCHEDULE
IPL 2023 Schedule for KKR
The official match schedule for IPL 2023 is yet to be published by the BCCI. But you can check the approximate schedule of KKR performances in the table provided:
| Match Day | Time | Date | Home Team | Away Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 3:30 PM | 09 April 2023 | Gujarat Titans | Kolkata Knight Riders | Ahmedabad |
| 15 | 7:30 PM | 14 April 2023 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Kolkata |
| 17 | 3:30 PM | 16 April 2023 | Mumbai Indians | Kolkata Knight Riders | Mumbai |
| 21 | 7:30 PM | 20 April 2023 | Delhi Capitals | Kolkata Knight Riders | Delhi |
| 24 | 7:30 PM | 23 April 2023 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Chennai Super Kings | Kolkata |
| 27 | 7:30 PM | 26 April 2023 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Kolkata Knight Riders | Bengaluru |
| 30 | 3:30 PM | 29 April 2023 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Gujarat Titans | Kolkata |
| 35 | 7:30 PM | 04 May 2023 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Kolkata Knight Riders | Hyderabad |
| 39 | 7:30 PM | 08 May 2023 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Punjab Kings | Kolkata |
| 42 | 7:30 PM | 11 May 2023 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Rajasthan Royals | Kolkata |
| 45 | 7:30 PM | 14 May 2023 | Chennai Super Kings | Kolkata Knight Riders | Chennai |
| 51 | 7:30 PM | 20 May 2023 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Lucknow Super Giants | Kolkata |
| QUALIFIER 1 | 7:30 PM | TBD | TBD | TBD | – |
| ELIMINATOR | 7:30 PM | TBD | TBD | TBD | – |
| QUALIFIER 2 | 7:30 PM | TBD | TBD | TBD | – |
| FINAL | 7:30 PM | 28 May 2023 | TBD | TBD | – |
FAQ about KKR
1️⃣ What Does KKR Stand for?
KKR stands for Kolkata Knight Riders. The name of the team is a reference to the 80s sci-fi TV series Knight Rider.
2️⃣ Who is the Captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2023?
Like last season, batsman Shreyas Iyer has been selected as captain of KKR.
3️⃣ Who is the Coach of KKR in 2023?
Chandrakant Pandit remains the coach of Kolkata Knight Riders.
4️⃣ What is the Total Amount Left under the KKR Team 2023 Player List?
KKR Team came to the auction with 11 vacant seats and a purse of INR 7.05 crore. At the end of the auction, it was left with INR 1.65 crore.
5️⃣ How Many Players Have Been Released This Year under KKR?
The team has released 15 players including Shivam Mavi, Aman Khan and Pat Cummins.
6️⃣ Who Owns the Kolkata Knight Riders?
The franchise is owned by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, actress Juhi Chawla and husband Jay Mehta.
