The first three seasons in IPL was a nightmare for Kolkata Knight Riders. However, they showed ambition in the IPL 2011 Auctions, and two trophies followed for the third-most successful franchise in the competition. One of the very few teams to have won more than 100 IPL games, KKR reached playoffs consecutively in 2016, 2017 and 2018. On that note, in this article, we take a look at the all-time best KKR XI in IPL History.
Openers: Gautam Gambhir (C) and Robin Uthappa
Having made a few bold decisions, KKR were in search of a leader in 2011. Hence, they paid $2.4 million to hire the services of Indian opener Gautam Gambhir. Under Gambhir, KKR enjoyed their best phase in the competition so far. Apart from leading the squad to two championships, Gambhir also scored tons of runs. In 122 games, he made a total of 3345 runs.
One of the Top 10 highest run-getters in IPL, Uthappa‘s peak league form happened when he played for KKR. He won the Orange Cap in 2014 and was also one of the most consistent batters for the outfit. Uthappa is the most successful wicket-keeper for KKR so far. The Karnataka lad was also in contention to be the captain of the squad in 2018.
Middle-Order: Manish Pandey and Dinesh Karthik (WK)
Manish Pandey was still a youngster when he came to KKR. A promising batsman, Pandey did well in the middle-order for the franchise. While he scored 1442 runs in 60 games, his most important contribution is the Player of the Match performance in the final of IPL 2014.
Dinesh Karthik was made the captain of the unit in 2018. Although he relieved himself from the role in 2020, DK is still an important batsman for the team. So far, he has scored 1043 runs in 51 games at an average of 30.67. Hence, he features in this all-time best KKR XI in IPL History.
All-Rounders: Jacques Kallis, Yusuf Pathan and Andre Russell
When KKR was at its peak, it was Jacques Kallis who provided balance to the outfit. Interestingly, even at the moment, the South African is the fifth-highest run-getter and fourth highest wicket-taker for the franchise. Therefore, Kallis is undroppable from this XI.
Yusuf Pathan was another statement signing by KKR at the IPL 2011 Auctions. The Baroda all-rounder scored 2061 runs in 122 games for KKR at an average of 30.30 and a strike rate of 135. He also picked 30 wickets for the franchise. Yusuf won many games single-handedly for KKR.
The Most Valuable Player in IPL 2015 and 2019, Andre Russell is the face of KKR right now. He has been one of the best examples of an investment paying dividends in the league. Although he had plenty of injury issues, KKR retained him, and the West Indian has responded in fashion on multiple occasions.
Bowlers: Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla, Brett Lee and L Balaji
An unknown commodity when he was purchased by KKR, Sunil Narine is currently one of the premier T20 cricketers. The Player of the Tournament in 2012 and 2018, apart from having a massive impact with the ball, Narine enjoyed a few memorable outings as an opener. While he is the highest wicket-taker for the franchise with 148 scalps, Narine also has 903 runs as a KKR player.
Piyush Chawla will operate as Narine’s spin partner in this all-time best KKR XI in IPL History. The all-time third highest IPL wicket-taker, Chawla has 71 wickets for KKR. He was the winning run-scorer in the IPL 2014 final.
Brett Lee and L Balaji will form the core of the pace attack for this XI. Both Lee and Balaji played only between 2011 and 2013 for the franchise, but they had a terrific impact with the ball. While the Tamil Nadu pacer collected 44 wickets at a strike rate of 20.3, the Aussie accounted for 24 scalps at a strike rate of 31.8. Together, they complimented very well and added a diverse touch to the KKR bowling attack.
