IPL 2018 Auction Day 1: Kolkata Knight Riders squad

The Kolkata Knight Riders have been one of the most celebrated franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL). They started their campaign by finishing at the bottom-half of the table a couple of times. However, their fortunes started turning from the 2011 season after signing Gautam Gambhir as the captain with a host of other changes. They beat the Chennai Super Kings in the final and emerged victorious in the 2012 edition of the tournament.

The team grew in stature under Gambhir’s leadership and bagged their second title in 2014 beating the Kings XI Punjab. The second biggest auction in the history of the T20 league is on its way and most teams have been dissolved ahead of the auctions. They retained the two Windies players in Sunil Narine and Andre Russell who have been impressive for the Knights over the years as out and out match winners.

Smart play by the Knights

They have been clever in their approach while picking players. While they have brought back players from their previous squad, the franchise has also focused on young stars who have impressed over the past few months. They have also used the Right to Match (RTM) card to good effect and retained Robin Uthappa, Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav.

Australian stars Mitchell Starc and Chris Lynn have been their most expensive buys. They have also picked up a couple of cricketers in Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shubman Gill who are plying their trade in the ongoing World Cup in New Zealand and has performed exceptionally thus far. Having bagged some utility players, the team look in great shape and will look to buy six more players to complete the minimum squad.

Here’s a list of cricketers brought by Kolkata Knight Riders

1. Robin Uthappa – Wicketkeeper-batsman – 6.4 crores (RTM)

2. Chris Lynn – Batsman – 9.6 crores [Overseas]

3. Kuldeep Yadav – Bowler – 5.8 overs  (RTM)

4. Dinesh Karthik –  Wicketkeeper-batsman – 7.4 crores

5. Mitchell Starc – Bowler – 9.4 crores [Overseas]

6. Ishank Jaggi – Batsman – 20 Lakhs

7. Kamlesh Nagarkoti – All-rounder – 3.2 crores

8. Nitish Rana – All-rounder – 3.4 crores

9. Shubman Gill – Batsman – 1.8 crores

10. Piyush Chawla – Bowler – 4.2 crores (RTM)

Retained players

1. Sunil Narine – Bowler – 8.5 crores (League fees: 12.5 crores)

2. Andre Russell – Bowler – 7 crores (League fees: 8.5 crores)