Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL: Full schedule, squad, past wins, key stats and more
PTI
Synopsis
With the IPL 2025 approaching, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders look to clinch their fourth title. Led by Ajinkya Rahane, KKR's key players include Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Anrich Nortje. The team kicks off their campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore on March 22 at Eden Gardens.
By ET Online
With the most expensive cricket tournament set to commence soon, defending IPL champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, will be eyeing another opportunity to lift the cup, under the leadership of Ajinkya Rahane. KKR begin their title defence against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday, March 22 at Eden Gardens.
Dinesh Karthik took over as captain in 2018, guiding KKR to a third-place finish in his debut season. Midway through the 2020 IPL, he stepped down, passing the leadership to Eoin Morgan, who led the team to their third final in 2021. However, Morgan went unsold the following year, making way for Shreyas Iyer, who ultimately steered KKR to their third IPL title in 2024.
KKR stats to remember:
Andre Russell was a standout performer with the ball last season, claiming 19 wickets in just 29.2 overs at a remarkable strike rate of 9.2. However, his form in T20s post-IPL 2024 has dipped, managing only 17 wickets in 66.5 overs with a strike rate of 23.5. With Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora as KKR’s key Indian pacers, Spencer Johnson lacking experience, and Anrich Nortje returning from injury, Russell will have a significant role to play, as per ESPN.
KKR’s spin attack was the best in IPL 2024, and they have retained the core for 2025. Their 38 wickets last season were eight more than the second-best team, while their average (23.18) and economy rate (7.68) were among the best, with only Chennai Super Kings’ spinners having a better economy.
Quinton de Kock has delivered 500-plus runs in three IPL seasons, each time helping his team reach the playoffs, including Mumbai Indians’ title wins in 2019 and 2020. However, IPL 2024 was his worst campaign since 2014, managing just 250 runs in 11 matches for Lucknow Super Giants at an average of 22.72.
Bowlers: Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markande, Spencer Johnson, Umran Malik, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy
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In 2012, KKR won their first title because of Sunil Narine and Robin Uthappa. They won the title in 2014 again - the first season with Andre Russell in their ranks. The next three years showed promise but didn’t bring KKR another title, leading to Gautam Gambhir’s exit ahead of the 2018 auction.Dinesh Karthik took over as captain in 2018, guiding KKR to a third-place finish in his debut season. Midway through the 2020 IPL, he stepped down, passing the leadership to Eoin Morgan, who led the team to their third final in 2021. However, Morgan went unsold the following year, making way for Shreyas Iyer, who ultimately steered KKR to their third IPL title in 2024.
KKR stats to remember:
Andre Russell was a standout performer with the ball last season, claiming 19 wickets in just 29.2 overs at a remarkable strike rate of 9.2. However, his form in T20s post-IPL 2024 has dipped, managing only 17 wickets in 66.5 overs with a strike rate of 23.5. With Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora as KKR’s key Indian pacers, Spencer Johnson lacking experience, and Anrich Nortje returning from injury, Russell will have a significant role to play, as per ESPN. KKR’s spin attack was the best in IPL 2024, and they have retained the core for 2025. Their 38 wickets last season were eight more than the second-best team, while their average (23.18) and economy rate (7.68) were among the best, with only Chennai Super Kings’ spinners having a better economy.
Quinton de Kock has delivered 500-plus runs in three IPL seasons, each time helping his team reach the playoffs, including Mumbai Indians’ title wins in 2019 and 2020. However, IPL 2024 was his worst campaign since 2014, managing just 250 runs in 11 matches for Lucknow Super Giants at an average of 22.72.
IPL 2025 KKR Squad:
Batters: Rinku Singh, Quinton de Kock (WK-Batter), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK-Batter), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Luvnith Sisodia, Ajinkya RahaneADVERTISEMENT
All Rounders: Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, Ramandeep Singh, Andre RussellBowlers: Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markande, Spencer Johnson, Umran Malik, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy
KKR IPL 2025 Full Schedule:
- March 22 (Saturday): KKR vs RCB – Kolkata
- March 26 (Wednesday): RR vs KKR – Guwahati
- March 31 (Monday): MI vs KKR – Mumbai
- April 3 (Thursday): KKR vs SRH – Kolkata
- April 6 (Sunday): KKR vs LSG – Kolkata
- April 11 (Friday): CSK vs KKR – Chennai
- April 15 (Tuesday): PBKS vs KKR – New Chandigarh
- April 21 (Monday): KKR vs GT – Kolkata
- April 26 (Saturday): KKR vs PBKS – Kolkata
- April 29 (Tuesday): DC vs KKR – Delhi
- May 6 (Sunday): KKR vs RR – Kolkata
- May 7 (Wednesday): KKR vs CSK – Kolkata
- May 10 (Saturday): SRH vs KKR – Hyderabad
- May 17 (Saturday): RCB vs KKR – Bengaluru
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