Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are among the few teams that have won the IPL multiple times. Their success can be attributed to the clever captains they have had.
Since 2008, the franchise has seen some notable names lead their squad. From Sourav Ganguly to Gautam Gambhir, everyone strived to bring laurels. Some succeeded, some failed, but the end goal was the same.
This article will take you through all the captains who’ve led KKR in the IPL.
1. Sourav Ganguly
What could’ve been better than having the ‘Prince of Kolkata’ in your squad? Sourav Ganguly was the icon player of KKR in 2008.
Given his track record as India’s captain, the franchise may not have had to consider who could be their first skipper.
While the expectations were high, Ganguly failed to bring his leadership magic. The Knight Riders ended up in sixth position in 2008.
After the average performance, the franchise removed Ganguly as captain. But he was back at the helm in 2010.
The captaincy reinstatement didn’t bring any change. KKR again finished sixth under Ganguly’s tenure.
In all, Ganguly led the Knight Riders in 27 matches and returned with 13 wins and 14 losses.
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2. Brendon McCullum
In between Ganguly’s stint, Brendon McCullum got the reins of KKR. He was their second full-time skipper.
But the captaincy change turned out to be futile. KKR endured a tough season to finish at the bottom of the points table in 2009.
In his only season as KKR captain, McCullum mustered three wins out of 13 games. This also included a streak of nine losses!
3. Gautam Gambhir
After three poor seasons, Kolkata wanted a solid leader. And they snapped up Gautam Gambhir in the 2011 auction.
This was like a match made in heaven. In the next seven years, Gambhir’s aggressive leadership brought a massive change. This laid the foundation for the team to become heavyweights.
In the 2011 season, the Knight Riders marched into the first playoffs. Although they failed in the Eliminator, it showed their changed attitude.
This fuelled their desire to win the trophy. And the Gambhir-led side won the trophy not once, but twice. They lifted the title in 2012 and 2014.
In the next three seasons, Gambhir guided the team to the playoffs twice. While he couldn’t take them over the ropes, it showed a hunger for more.
Gambhir was in charge of KKR till 2017. He handed them 61 victories out of the 108 matches.
4. Dinesh Karthik
After the association with Gambhir came to an end, Dinesh Karthik became KKR’s fourth captain. He had little captaincy experience in the league. But he picked up from where Gambhir left off.
Karthik led from the front to take KKR into the playoffs in 2018. But he failed to repeat the same by a whisker in 2019.
KKR were doing fine in 2020, but Karthik’s performance took a hit. So he left the captaincy midway through the season. In 37 matches at the helm. Karthik led KKR to 19 wins.
5. Eoin Morgan
Eoin Morgan had to step in after Karthik’s resignation. He took over the team in the middle of IPL 2020.
Morgan was a World Cup-winning skipper. But he couldn’t do much in 2020, as KKR slipped out of playoff contention.
The next season, though, KKR bounced back. Morgan took KKR to their first final since their 2014 triumph.
While KKR couldn’t withstand CSK’s challenge, Morgan showed his captaincy masterclass. Despite that, KKR didn’t retain Morgan for the next season.
Nonetheless, Morgan won 12 matches out of 24 to have a 50-50 record as KKR skipper.
6. Shreyas Iyer
After Morgan’s departure, KKR were without a skipper. And they went after Shreyas Iyer, who had proven his leadership acumen.
The franchise signed him for INR 12.25 crore and handed him the captaincy task. While the team had an average run in 2022, Iyer changed the picture in 2024.
In between, the right-hand batter missed the 2023 season due to an injury. KKR looked like an almost unbeatable side as Iyer returned in 2024.
He guided the franchise to its third title while being calm and composed throughout the campaign. No one would like to let go of a title-winning skipper, but KKR didn’t retain Iyer for the next season.
All in all, KKR tasted success in 17 games out of 29 under Iyer’s leadership.
7. Nitish Rana
With Iyer ruled out of the 2023 season, Nitish Rana got the captaincy responsibility. This proved to be a big task for him.
And he succumbed under the pressure as KKR ended in seventh spot with six victories in 2023.
8. Ajinkya Rahane
After KKR released Iyer, they needed a new captain. They tried to find a suitable candidate in the auction but couldn’t quite get a notable player.
So they had to look for a captain in their assembled squad. And they zeroed in on Ajinkya Rahane.
Rahane came in with a fair experience of captaining in the league. Plus, he has led Mumbai in domestic cricket on countless occasions.
His calm and calculated method will be handy for KKR to keep their dominance in the league.
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