5 players who were at their peak while representing Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL
The Kolkata Knight Riders are one of only three franchises to have lifted the IPL title more than once. After failing to finish in the top 4 during the first three seasons, KKR revamped their squad and gave the team's reins to Gautam Gambhir.
The Indian opener played the skipper's role brilliantly as he took the Kolkata Knight Riders to the championship in 2012 and 2014. Over the years, the Kolkata-based franchise have given a platform to many current Indian stars like Suryakumar Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, and Kuldeep Yadav to showcase their talent to the world.
Quite a few players felt at home while playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL. Here's a look at five cricketers who have represented multiple IPL teams but performed their best when playing for KKR.
5. Gautam Gambhir was instrumental in the success of the Kolkata Knight Riders
As mentioned above, Gautam Gambhir replaced Sourav Ganguly as the Kolkata Knight Riders captain in 2011. Although local fans were disappointed with this development, Gambhir turned around the fortunes of the team.
The Knight Riders finished in the top 4 for the first time in 2011. Next year, they became champions under Gambhir's leadership, and two years later, they won the title for the second time.
Gambhir played for the Delhi Capitals and the Kolkata Knight Riders in his career. He led KKR from the front by scoring runs consistently with the willow.
In 108 innings for Kolkata, Gambhir amassed 3,035 runs at an average of 31.61, with a strike rate of 124.28. He recorded 27 half-centuries for the team. His strike rate and batting average were relatively lower when Gambhir played for Delhi.
4. Lakshmipathy Balaji
Lakshmipathy Balaji is the bowling coach of the Chennai Super Kings at the moment. The Indian fast bowler represented three franchises in his career: the Chennai Super Kings, the Kolkata Knight Riders, and the Punjab Kings.
While Balaji picked up a hat-trick and won IPL 2010 with CSK, his best performance came when he played for the Knight Riders. In 35 IPL matches for KKR, Balaji scalped 33 wickets, including a four-wicket haul.
His economy rate was more than 8.6 runs per over when he played for Chennai and Punjab. However, while bowling for KKR, Balaji conceded runs at an economy rate of 7.39 only. In fact, he gave away only 5.39 runs per over in eight games of IPL 2012, a season which KKR ended as champions.