Published 21:22 IST, December 11th 2019
IPL: Kolkata Knight Riders' best playing XI of 2010s ft. Gautam Gambhir, Andre Russell
IPL 2012 and 2014 winners Kolkata Knight Riders have played some entertaining cricket over the years. Here, we take a look at their best XI of the decade.
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Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises Kolkata Knight Riders is one of the most successful teams in the history of the cash-rich annual tournament, having won the tournament twice in 2012 and 2014 respectively. Over the course of their journey since the beginning, KKR has delivered many memorable performances which are forever etched in the IPL’s rich 12-year old history. Ahead of the upcoming IPL 2020 Auction on December 19, we take a look across the past decade and present you the best KKR IPL XI from 2010 to 2019.
IPL: KKR XI of the decade (2010-2019)
Gautam Gambhir (C) – Gambhir successfully led KKR to both their IPL title wins so far. The left-hander was also a prolific run-scorer at the top of the order, scoring 3,345 runs across 122 games between IPL 2011 and 2017.
Chris Lynn – The Australian opener joined KKR in 2014 and was part of the franchise till 2019. The right-hander scored over 1,000 runs and was known for his big-hitting and fielding abilities.
Jacques Kallis – During his four-year stint with KKR, the South African legend was part of the squad that won the IPL 2012 and 2014 editions. The now-retired all-rounder scored 1,603 runs and picked up 48 wickets for his team between IPL 2011 and 2014.
Robin Uthappa – In his first year with KKR itself (IPL 2014), Robin Uthappa won the Orange Cap by scoring 660 runs. The stylish right-hander continued to be an effective batsman for the side in the years that followed.
Dinesh Karthik (wk) – Karthik joined KKR in 2018 and was immediately appointed as their captain. He had a good outing with the bat in both seasons, scoring 751 runs in just 30 matches. The Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batsman has also been equally efficient behind the stumps, affecting 25 dismissals in total.
Yusuf Pathan – The burly Indian all-rounder served the franchise between 2011 and 2017. His all-round abilities were crucial in KKR’s victorious campaigns in 2012 and 2014. Apart from scoring 2,061 runs in 122 matches, Pathan also picked up 30 wickets with his off-spin.
Andre Russell – Unarguably he has been their most impactful and biggest match-winner till date. The West Indian all-rounder joined KKR in 2014 and holds a staggering strike-rate of 188.35 in 63 matches. He also scalped 56 wickets with his effective pace bowling.
Piyush Chawla – Piyush Chawla is second on the list of all-time highest wicket-takers for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Joining the side in 2014, the leg-spinner picked up 71 wickets in 76 games and also scored the winning runs in IPL 2014 final.
Sunil Narine – Sunil Narine won the Player-of-the-Tournament award in his debut season with KKR itself. The West Indian off-spinner leads the list of KKR’s bowling with 140 wickets and the all-rounder was also responsible for scoring many quick-fire half-centuries at the top of the order.
Kuldeep Yadav – Between 2014 and 2019, Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav picked up 45 wickets in 45 IPL games for KKR. Ahead of the upcoming IPL 2020 auction, the left-arm spinner was also retained by the franchise.
Umesh Yadav – Indian pace genius Umesh Yadav played 48 matches between IPL 2014 and 2017 in which he picked up 48 wickets. Among all KKR fast bowlers, Umesh Yadav is only behind Andre Russell in terms of total number of wickets.
21:15 IST, December 11th 2019