IPL History: 3 players whose IPL careers blossomed after leaving the Kolkata Knight Riders
The Kolkata Knight Riders have been one of the most successful franchises in the history of the IPL. KKR have lifted the IPL trophy on two occasions which makes them the third most successful team in the history of the competition after the Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians, who have won the IPL thrice each. To win a tournament like IPL, a franchise need world-class players and KKR have never had a dearth of superstars.
The two-time IPL champions have been represented by some of the best players in the history of the game. While a lot of those superstars have contributed to the success of the franchise, there are few players who couldn't do well at KKR.
The KKR team management was not patient with those players and ended up not retaining them. Some of them became big hits at other franchises and KKR were left to regret their decisions. So, let us look at a few incredible players who were not retained by KKR.
#1. Chris Gayle
Chris Gayle is one of the greatest players in the history of the T20s. The West Indian batsman is an IPL legend as he holds the record for most centuries in IPL history - six. The legendary batsman has scored five of those centuries for RCB, while one came in KXIP colours.
In his glittering IPL career, it is easy to forget that he also played for KKR. His spell at the Kolkata-based franchise was not very successful though. So, KKR management made a decision they would want to forget themselves.
They decided against retaining the legendary left-handed batsman. After the failure in the first three seasons of the league, KKR management decided to go for a fresh start so they did not retain anyone. He was then signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore and rest is history. He currently plays for KXIP and is showing no signs of stopping.
Stats by Team:
KKR: 863 Runs ( Batting average: 30.87 )
RCB: 3163 Runs ( Batting average: 43:33)
KXIP: 720 Runs ( Batting average: 45:00)