With 2 IPL titles under their belt, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are the 3rd most successful team in the tournament history behind leaders Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. While KKR hung around in the bottom rung in the initial 3 seasons of the IPL, since making the playoffs in 2011, they have consistently come up as strong contenders for the title.
However, the Men in Purple and Gold have failed to perform in the previous two editions of the franchise-based league and they will look to turn things around in IPL 2024.
KKR greatest Playing XI of all time
1. Gautam Gambhir (C)
2. Robin Uthappa
3. Jacques Kallis
4. Shreyas Iyer
5. Rinku Singh
6. Andre Russell
7. Sunil Narine
8. Mitchell Starc
9. Varun Chakravarthy
10. Piyush Chawla
11. Umesh Yadav
(Note: The playing XI comprises of players keeping in mind the inclusion of only 4 foreign players.)
KKR’s greatest playing XI:
Gautam Gambhir: Skipper Gautam Gambhir is the leading run-scorer for KKR in IPL history. The left-handed batter has scored 3345 runs in 122 games. Gautam Gambhir also has 30 fifties for the two-time champs in IPL.
Robin Uthappa: Senior batter Robin Uthappa comes second in the list for most runs scored for KKR. Uthappa has scored 2649 runs in 91 games for Kolkata Knight Riders. He alongside Gambhir gave many flying starts to the Men in Purple and Gold.
Jacques Kallis: With 48 wickets and 1,603 runs, Jacques Kallis played an integral role in KKR’s success in earlier editions of the IPL. Kallis was Gautam Gambhir’s go to man in crunch situations and the veteran certainly delivered when his side needed him the most.
Shreyas Iyer: Shreyas Iyer joined KKR in IPL 2022. However, the right-handed batter missed out the previous edition due to injury. Skipper Iyer is expected to play a crucial role for KKR in the IPL 2024.
Rinku Singh: Rinku Singh got the much-needed limelight when he smashed Yash Dayal for 37 runs in one over during the last edition. Since then, the Southpaw has not looked back and has also become a regular member of the Indian contingent. Rinku is expected to play the finisher’s role for KKR in IPL 2024.
Andre Russell: Andre Russell is the second leading wicket-taker and third highest run-scorer for KKR in IPL. Over the years, Andre Russell has played several memorable knocks for the two-time champs. With a batting average of 29 and a strike-rate touching 175.07, Russell walks into this team hands down.
Sunil Narine: Magician Sunil Narine is the leading wicket-taker for KKR in the history of IPL. He has also scored 1047 runs at an astonishing strike-rate of almost 160.
Mitchell Starc: Mitchell Starc became the costliest player in the IPL history after Kolkata Knight Riders snapped him for a whopping Rs 24.75 crore in the IPL 2024 auction. The left-arm pacer is surely expected to feature in the KKR’s playing XI in IPL 2024.
Varun Chakravarthy: Varun Chakaravarthy was one of the hottest picks in 2019 IPL where KXIP outbid KKR by shelling out Rs 8.4 crore to get him onboard. A year down the line, the KKR think tank ensured this mystery spinner dons the Purple and Gold for IPL 2020. Varun has a quirky action, kind of similar to Ajantha Mendis, and has worked closely with Sunil Narine during the net session for KKR in 2017.
Piyush Chawla & Balaji: As the team is filled with all-rounders, there are just 2 more spots remaining for genuine bowlers and we have chosen to go with 2 of KKR’s most successful ones in Chawla and Balaji. While Chawla is KKR’s 2nd-highest wicket-taker after Narine, Balaji follows close with an economy below 8 and a strike-rate of 20.
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