Kolkata Knight Riders

IPL Trophies:- 2012 | 2014 | 2024

Captain

Ajinkya Rahane

Coach

Abhishek Nayar

Owner

Knight Riders Sports Private Limited

Venue

Eden Gardens

Captain

-

Ajinkya Rahane

Coach

-

Abhishek Nayar

Owner

-

Knight Riders Sports Private Limited

Venue

-

Eden Gardens

Overview

Kolkata Knight Riders, also known as KKR, is one of the most popular franchise teams in the Indian Premier League. The Kolkata Knight Riders is based in Kolkata, West Bengal, and have been in the IPL since the very first season in 2008. The Kolkata Knight Riders IPL team has earned a dedicated fanbase both locally, in the city, and nationwide, over almost 20 years.

KKR is a three-time IPL champion, having won the title in 2012, 2014, and most recently in 2024. Their 2024 campaign was among the most overwhelming in the history of the league as the team only lost three matches throughout the season. Such consistency ensured that KKR was among the most discussed franchises in recent years.

Its home matches are played in Eden Gardens, Kolkata, which is one of the largest cricket stadiums in the world. To most fans, attending a KKR home game at Eden Gardens is in itself a journey.

Field	Details
Team Name	Kolkata Knight Riders
Short Form	KKR
Founded	2008
Captain	Ajinkya Rahane
Vice-Captain	Rinku Singh
Coach	Abhishek Nayar
Owner	Knight Riders Sports Private Limited
Home Ground	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
League	Indian Premier League (IPL)
Titles Won	3 (2012, 2014, 2024)

Team History

Kolkata Knight Riders was formed in the year 2008 as one of the eight first franchises in the IPL. The team was part-owned by an actor Shah Rukh Khan, which made them immediately famous long before they even held their first match. The initial four seasons were challenging, despite the initial hype. The team was unable to find a consistent rhythm and experienced several changes in captains and coaches.

This changed in 2011 when Gautam Gambhir replaced the leadership role as captain and Trevor Bayliss replaced the coaching role. That combination was a difference-maker. KKR secured their first IPL title in 2012, defeating Chennai Super Kings in a close final. Two years later in 2014, they again won it but this time pursuing 200 runs in the final against Kings XI Punjab. The season was an exceptional one in which the team emerged victorious in nine consecutive matches following a poor start.

The period between 2015 and 2023 was not good for the Kolkata Knight Riders Team. They tried Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan and Shreyas Iyer as captain after Gambhir. However, it was Shreyas Iyer and the re-emerging Gautam Gambhir in the role of mentor that KKR ultimately assembled another title-winning campaign in 2024. They were the most powerful team of that year and bowled out the opponents on six occasions in one edition, which is a record in the history of IPL.

Team Performance

The Kolkata Knight Riders IPL team has had a mixed but largely competitive overall record across 18 seasons before IPL 2026.

Here is a summary of KKR’s performance across some notable seasons:

Season	Matches	Wins	Result
2008	14	6	Did not qualify
2012	17	12	Champions
2014	16	11	Champions
2021	14	7	Runners-up
2024	15	11	Champions
2025	14	5	8th place

The most prominent season is the 2024 one. KKR won the league stage and proceeded to defeat Sunrisers Hyderabad twice in the playoffs including the final. Their total winning percentage of that season was 73.3%.

The 2025 season was however a huge fall. Being the defending champions, KKR ended up in the eighth position with only 5 wins out of 14 matches. The batting order failed to work and the side lacked depth in the middle order. That act led to a significant restructuring of the squad before IPL 2026. When you look closely at Kolkata Knight Riders stats in all seasons, you can see the difference between their 2024 title run and the 2025 campaign was sharp.

Records and Achievements

Kolkata Knight Riders have made a significant impression in the history of IPL both in terms of team and individual statistics.

Title Wins: KKR are the third most successful team in the tournament after Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings with 3 IPL wins (2012, 2014, 2024).

Longest Winning Streak: KKR have the longest winning streak in the IPL history with 14 consecutive wins, between the end of the 2014 season and the beginning of 2015. Their second title was a part of that run.

Most Dominant Final: KKR defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2024 IPL final by dismissing them with the lowest score in an IPL final with 113. KKR then pursued it with 57 balls to go.

Highest Runs: Gautam Gambhir has scored the highest number of runs in KKR, being the all time highest run scorer. He also led the team in his entire 122 appearances for the club.

Top Wicket-taker of all times: Sunil Narine is the highest wicket taker of KKR. He has played a part with the bat, too, and since 2017, particularly, when he opened the innings, his contribution with the bat has been significant.

Jersey Retirement: In November 2025, KKR retired the jersey number 12 of Andre Russell, who retired in November 2025 after 12 years of service to the franchise.

According to the Kolkata Knight Riders stats, the team has won 117 head-to-head league and playoff matches in 18 seasons (until and including IPL 2025).

Home Ground Details

Eden Gardens in Kolkata is not just a cricket ground. It is one of the most iconic stadiums in world cricket. Here are the key details:

Feature	Details
Stadium Name	Eden Gardens
Location	Kolkata, West Bengal
Capacity	Approximately 66,000
Pitch Type	Balanced surface, good for batting and spin bowling
Established	1864

Although Kolkata Knight Riders records are not that good at Eden Gardens, the stadium has one of the most passionate and vocal crowds in cricket. Playing at home here gives KKR a real advantage. The pitch generally assists batters in the first innings but can slow down later, making chasing tricky. The spin bowlers tend to get some grip as the game progresses. The crowd can also have a big psychological impact on visiting sides.

Latest News and Current Status

Kolkata Knight Riders started IPL 2026 with a new team and a changed coaching staff. The team has gone through some major changes following the completion of eighth in IPL 2025 before this season.

The Kolkata Knight Riders have a new coach in Abhishek Nayar who replaces Chandrakant Pandit whose contract expired at the end of the IPL 2026. Shane Watson is the new assistant coach and Dwayne Bravo the new mentor. Tim Southee joined as bowling coach and Andre Russell, who retired in the IPL in November 2025, was offered the special position of power coach.

At the mini-auction of December 2025, KKR started with the largest purse in the pool of INR 64.30 crore. They bid Australian all-rounder Cameron Green INR 25.20 crore, the highest bid ever paid in the history of the IPL auction. Matheesha Pathirana, a Sri Lankan pacer, was purchased at INR 18 crore and New Zealand opener Finn Allen also got into the team.

Ajinkya Rahane remains Kolkata Knight Riders captain in IPL 2026. The managing director of the franchise, Venky Mysore, named Rinku Singh as the franchise vice-captain during a pre-season event on 24 March 2026.

IPL 2026 is scheduled to take place between 28 March and 31 May 2026. According to Kolkata Knight Riders Fixtures, KKR will start their season against Mumbai Indians on 28 March 2026.

The important retained players in the Kolkata Knight Riders 2026 squad are Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi. Other players include Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh and Umran Malik.

The Kolkata Knight Riders Schedule can be checked on the official IPL site or the KKR official site. To keep up with the latest Kolkata Knight Riders news such as the match outcomes, the squad, and the news of injuries, you can also check their social media handles.

Feature	Details
Stadium Name	Eden Gardens
Location	Kolkata, West Bengal
Capacity	Approximately 66,000
Pitch Type	Balanced surface, good for batting and spin bowling
Established	1864

KKR 2026 Squad Players List

No.	Player	Role	Nationality
1	Ajinkya Rahane (C)	Batter	India
2	Rinku Singh (VC)	Batter	India
3	Angkrish Raghuvanshi	Batter	India
4	Manish Pandey	Batter	India
5	Rahul Tripathi	Batter	India
6	Rovman Powell	Batter	West Indies
7	Cameron Green	All-Rounder	Australia
8	Sunil Narine	All-Rounder	West Indies
9	Ramandeep Singh	All-Rounder	India
10	Rachin Ravindra	All-Rounder	New Zealand
11	Anukul Roy	All-Rounder	India
12	Daksh Kamra	All-Rounder	India
13	Sarthak Ranjan	All-Rounder	India
14	Finn Allen	WK-Batter	New Zealand
15	Tim Seifert	WK-Batter	New Zealand
16	Tejasvi Singh	WK-Batter	India
17	Varun Chakaravarthy	Bowler (Spinner)	India
18	Prashant Solanki	Bowler (Spinner)	India
19	Matheesha Pathirana	Bowler (Pacer)	Sri Lanka
20	Vaibhav Arora	Bowler (Pacer)	India
21	Umran Malik	Bowler (Pacer)	India
22	Kartik Tyagi	Bowler (Pacer)	India
23	Blessing Muzarabani	Bowler (Pacer)	Zimbabwe
24	Navdeep Saini	Bowler (Pacer)	India (replaces Harshit Rana)
25	Saurabh Dubey	Bowler (Pacer)	India (replaces Akash Deep)

Other Teams

Batters

Ajinkya Rahane

Batter

Rinku Singh

Batter

Angkrish Raghuvanshi

WK-Batter

Manish Pandey

Batter

Cameron Green

Batter

Finn Allen

Batter

Finn Allen

WK-Batter

Tejasvi Singh

WK-Batter

Rahul Tripathi

Batter

Tim Seifert

WK-Batter

Rovman Powell

Batter

All Rounders

Anukul Roy

All-Rounder

Sarthak Ranjan

All-Rounder

Daksh Kamra

All-Rounder

Rachin Ravindra

All-Rounder

Ramandeep Singh

All-Rounder

Bowlers

Blessing Muzarabani

Bowler

Vaibhav Arora

Bowler

Matheesha Pathirana

Bowler

Kartik Tyagi

Bowler

Prashant Solanki

Bowler

Akash Deep

Bowler

Akash Deep

Bowler

Harshit Rana

Bowler

Umran Malik

Bowler

Sunil Narine

Bowler

Varun Chakaravarthy

Bowler

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the Kolkata Knight Riders captain in IPL 2026?

Ajinkya Rahane is the Kolkata Knight Riders captain for IPL 2026. Rinku Singh serves as his vice-captain. Rahane has now captained KKR for two consecutive seasons.

Who owns the Kolkata Knight Riders IPL team?

The Kolkata Knight Riders are owned by Knight Riders Sports Private Limited. The franchise co-owners include Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, and her business man husband Jay Mehta.

How many IPL titles has KKR won?

KKR has won 3 IPL titles, in 2012, 2014, and 2024. They are the third-most successful team in IPL history based on titles won.

Who is the Kolkata Knight Riders coach for IPL 2026?

Abhishek Nayar is the Kolkata Knight Riders coach for IPL 2026. He took over from Chandrakant Pandit after the 2025 season. The support staff also includes Shane Watson as assistant coach and Dwayne Bravo as mentor.

What are the Kolkata Knight Riders records in IPL?

Among the notable Kolkata Knight Riders records, the team holds the record for the longest winning streak in IPL history with 14 consecutive wins. Their all-time top scorer is Gautam Gambhir with 3,345 runs, and their all-time leading wicket-taker is Sunil Narine.