KKR IPL History from 2008 to 2024: Stats, records, milestones, and more

Shah Rukh Khan’s entry into the IPL fold meant that the union of Cricket and Entertainment was solemnized. Kolkata Knight Riders gained a massive fan following even before a ball could be bowled in the IPL.

After a disastrous start to their campaign in the first few years, the acquisition of Gautam Gambhir changed the scenario. Two titles in three years made Kolkata Knight Riders a force to be reckoned with.

After the departure of Gautam Gambhir, the team has fallen off the pedestal a little bit. IPL 2023 though showed a resurgence of sorts thanks to the emerging talents of Rinku Singh. IPL 2024 will witness former skipper Gautam Gambhir return to the fold as a mentor. Shah Rukh Khan and the rest of the management will hope for good times to return again this season.

Also Check: IPL 2024 Schedule

IPL 2008- Initial sizzle and eventual fall 

In the very first game of the IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders created a huge impact. Brendon McCullum scored 158 to help his side post a massive score on the board. Despite winning in the early stages of the season, Kolkata Knight Riders lost their form. KKR ended the first season of IPL in the 6^th place and missed out on a place in the top four.

Sourav Ganguly was the top scorer for KKR that season with 349 runs with the bat. Umar Gul’s 12 wickets was the best return for KKR with the ball in the 2008 season. Brendon McCullum’s 158 was the top individual innings in the IPL that year. His record stood for six years before Chris Gayle went past it in IPL 2013 with his 175 not out. KKR’s 140-run win over RCB that year was also the biggest margin of win for a team. 

IPL 2009 – Wooden Spoon Finish

After their amazing start in the 2008 season, the IPL 2009 was a disastrous one for KKR. The team finished bottom of the table as the on-field and off-field issues showed it strain. John Buchannan came up with a split captaincy theory that had the fans and KKR stars confused.

Australian Brad Hodge was the leading scorer for KKR in 2009 with 365 runs. Ishant Sharma was the star performer with the ball picking 11 wickets from 11 games. IPL 2009 saw KKR being involved in the highest chase for the season. During the game versus CSK, MS Dhoni’s side scored 188 runs on the board. Brendon McCullum’s 81 led the charge to win the game for KKR. This was the highest aggregating runs in a game for the IPL 2009 season. 

IPL 2010 – Underwhelming performances continue

Sourav Ganguly was given the captaincy once again as KKR wanted to make a return to winning ways. With a sixth-place finish in the league, the superstar-filled side didn’t make the playoffs for the third time.

The skipper led from the front with 493 runs from 14 games with four fifties and an average of 37. With the ball, Ashok Dinda, Shane Bond, and Murali Kartik picked nine wickets each to be placed at the 25^th spot in the table. Manoj Tiwari went into the records books for the wrong reason during IPL 2010. The former India star recorded three ducks which was the highest by an individual batter during IPL 2010.

IPL 2011 – First entry into playoffs

Gautam Gambhir’s entry seemed to change the way KKR played and set the team out on a new course. The third-place finish during IPL 2011 was their best ever in IPL till then as they went to their first IPL playoff. Mumbai Indians ended KKR’s dream to reach the finals by beating them in the Eliminator match.

South African veteran Jacques was the highest scorer for KKR with 424 runs with the bat. Left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla picked up 16 wickets to become the best bowler for KKR that season. 

IPL 2012 – First IPL win as Sunil Narine’s star is born

The water was finally off the duck’s back as Kolkata Knight Riders won their first title in 2012. M Bisla led the charge with the bat as KKR beat two-time defending champions Chennai in the finals. This started a new era for Kolkata Knight Riders as they became a force to be reckoned with.

Gautam Gambhir with 590 runs was the leading run scorer for KKR, while Sunil Narine was the leading wicket-taker with 24 scalps. Sunil Narine boasted of the best economy rate of 5.47 during the IPL 2012 season.

IPL 2013 – terrible season as defending champions

Kolkata Knight Riders and Gautam Gambhir had a season to forget during the IPL 2013 season. The defending champions ended the season in 7^th place to make a meek exit from the tournament. Gautam Gambhir yet again with 406 runs was the top scorer for KKR with the bat, while Sunil Narine picked 22 wickets with the ball.

The mystery spinner from West Indies became the first ever KKR player to pick an IPL hat trick. For the 2^nd time in two years, Sunil Narine with an economy of 5.46 was the best bowler on display in IPL.

IPL 2014 – Second IPL title as KKR make dramatic comeback

Skipper Gautam Gambhir was struggling to score runs and to add more misery, his team wasn’t doing well. The first half of the tournament was held in UAE due to the 2014 Indian General Elections. Once the tournament moved back to India, the entire scenario changed.

KKR won their 2^nd title thanks to a dramatic last-ball win against Punjab Kings. Robin Uthappa with 660 runs was the highest run scorer in IPL 2014. Sunil Narine with 21 wickets played his part with the ball for KKR that season.

IPL 2015 – Losing grip of their title

KKR finished the 2015 IPL season without making it to the playoffs as they finished 5^th in the table. It was a disappointing campaign as the dominance of Kolkata began to wane. For the second year in a row, Robin Uthappa was the lead scorer with 364 runs. Andre Russell was the most successful bowler for KKR with 14 wickets. Suryakumar Yadav’s five sixes were the highest by an individual batter during IPL 2015 season.

IPL 2016 – Dumped out in the Eliminator game

Kolkata Knight Riders saw their fortunes revive during the IPL 2016 season. Gautam Gambhir led his side well to finish 4^th in the table. The two-time champs lost to SRH in the eliminator game to be dumped out of the tournament. Skipper Gautam Gambhir scored 501 runs with the bat while Andre Russell picked 15 wickets. Yusuf Pathan and Shakib Al Hasan’s 134-run stand for the 5^th wicket against Gujarat Lions was the best for that season.

IPL 2017 – Gautam Gambhir’s final season

In what was the end of an era at the Kolkata Knight Riders camp, Gautam Gambhir played his final season for the team. Yet another 4^th place finish saw them reach the playoffs before losing to Mumbai Indians yet again in the eliminator phase. Skipper Gautam Gambhir led the batting with 490 runs while Chris Woakes was the lead wicket-taker with 17 wickets.

KKR achieved a plethora of records during the IPL 2017 season with the bat and ball. 49 runs was all that was conceded by KKR when they beat RCB. This is still the lowest team by a team in all of IPL history. Chris Lynn and Gautam Gambhir’s 184-run opening stand was the best by any pair during IPL 2017. Sunil Narine’s 15-ball half-century was the best by a batter that season. 

IPL 2018 – New era starts with yet another playoff

After the exit of Gautam Gambhir, the onus of captaincy fell on the shoulders of Dinesh Karthik. The wicketkeeper saw his team finish 3^rd in the table and make it to the playoffs. After beating RR in the eliminator, KKR’s charge was halted by Sunrisers Hyderabad.

KKR’s 245 runs against Kings XI Punjab was the highest score by a team in IPL 2018. Skipper Dinesh Karthik was the top scorer with 498 runs while Kuldeep Yadav picked 17 wickets with the ball.

IPL 2019 – Losing playoff spot by a whisker

Andre Russell dominated the headlines as Kolkata Knight Riders ended the season in the 5^th place. Dinesh Karthik-led KKR had 12 points, the same as Sunrisers Hyderabad but SRH got the upper hand due to their run rate. 

For the second year in a row, Kolkata Knight Riders posted the highest team total in IPL 2019. The 232 vs Mumbai Indians saw the KKR batters put the MI bowlers to the sword. With a strike rate of 369.23 Andre Russell had the best return by a batter during IPL 2019. The West Indian was the lead run-getter with 210 runs and also picked up 11 wickets. 

IPL 2020 – Yet another fifth-place finish

For the second year in succession, Kolkata Knight Riders failed to make it to the playoffs. Shubman Gill emerged from the shadows to become the top scorer with 440 runs. Varun Chakravarthy was the top scorer with 17 wickets which also included a fifer.

IPL 2021 – first final appearance for seven years

Eoin Morgan showed his captaincy skills as he led the team to the finals of the IPL 2021 before losing to Chennai Super Kings. For 2^nd season in a row, Shubman Gill was the leading scorer with 478 runs. With the ball, Varun Chakravarthy went one better from the 2020 season to pick 18 wickets. 

IPL 2022 – Free-fall continues

IPL 2022 saw Shreyas Iyer given the captaincy but KKR couldn’t fare well as they ended their season in the 7^th place. With 401 runs with the bat, Iyer was the leading scorer for KKR that season. Andre Russell picked up 17 wickets to become the best KKR bowler during the IPL 2022 season. 

IPL 2023 – Rinku Singh and Venkatesh Iyer create history

Injury to Shreyas Iyer meant that Nitish Rana was given the captaincy for the IPL 2023 season. Just like the 2022 season, KKR finished 7^th in the table to be knocked out. Venkatesh Iyer scored an amazing century against Mumbai Indians. The star of the season was Rinku Singh who hit Yash Dayal for 5 sixes to help his side win the game.

IPL 2024- Gautam Gambhir’s return

This year KKR have invested a huge amount of money by buying Mitchell Starc for INR 24.75 Crores. This has already made the Aussie fast bowler the costliest player in the league. Gautam Gambhir is also back and he will hope his old charm can rub into the KKR team to get that elusive 3^rd IPL title.