The Indian Premier League (IPL) has carved quite a niche for itself in the 14 years. Since the inaugural season back in 2008, the IPL has grown massively. Although there have been many sides doing well at the tournament, one team that has consistently shown improvement is KKR. They had an incredibly poor first three years at the tournament but came back strongly to win the IPL twice. But what is the full form of KKR?
This is one question that keeps getting asked. Those who have been following the IPL for a while obviously know the answer. Here we will explain the full form of KKR in detail and take you through how the team has performed in the IPL over the years.
KKR full form in IPL
The full form of KKR is Kolkata Knight Riders. The Purple Army has been the talk of the town since the inaugural season of the IPL. They started the tournament with a bang, with Brendon McCullum smashing an unbeaten 158 in the first match of the IPL in 2008 against Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, the Kolkata-based franchise did not have the best of times in the first four seasons. They consistently faltered, and only when Gautam Gambhir came on board as the captain did KKR start with their winning streak.
KKR has been one of the most talked-about franchises since the beginning. One of the biggest reasons being that the team is co-owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and actress Juhi Chawla and Chawla’s husband Jay Mehta. The franchise was purchased for approximately INR 262.5 crore in 2008 and the Bollywood connection has kept them in the limelight at all times.
Read more: How many times have KKR won the IPL?
Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL over the years
Kolkata Knight Riders are one of three teams to have won the IPL more than once. They lifted the coveted trophy in 2012 and 2014, both times with Gautam Gambhir at the helm. Here’s how the Kolkata-based franchise has fared over the years in the cash-rich league.
IPL 2008 – Kolkata Knight Riders have often been credited for giving the IPL a massive lift-off. In the fits match of the inaugural season of the tournament, McCullum slammed a century giving IPL the much-needed attention. However, it seemed the first match was a flash in the pan for Kolkata. Their form tapered off and eventually they could only finish sixth on the points table.
IPL 2009 – Things went form bad to worse in the second season of the IPL for Kolkata where they could only manage three wins in 14 matches and finished bottom of the points table. It was as bad a season as KKR could have envisaged. It did not help that the tournament had to be shifted out of India that season as KKR had a team set for Indian conditions.
IPL 2010 – The third season of the tournament also did not make things better for the Kolkata franchise. They finished sixth on the points table despite having an excellent squad, and found themselves out of place time and time again.
IPL 2011 – Kolkata Knight Riders were slightly better in the fourth season of the IPL and for the first time in their history qualified for the playoffs. However, they could not get past Mumbai Indians in the eliminator going down by 4 wickets.
IPL 2012 – The season when it all came together for KKR. All that a cricket team at times needs is an inspiration leader and the Kolkata side sure got one in the form of Gautam Gambhir. He invoked fresh lease of life into the KKR unit and transformed a beleaguered unit into IPL champions. The KKR side finished the group stage placed second. They then got the better of Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 1 before thumping Chennai Super Kings in an epic final.
IPL 2013 – It was back to square one for KKR in 2013 as their big guns failed match after match. The team from Kolkata finished a lowly seventh on the points table.
IPL 2014 – A wake-up call was all that KKR needed and they were back to their scintillating best in 2014. They finished second on the points table with impressive performance from every player. In the final, KKR were up against it chasing a mammoth 200 for a win. But Manish Pandey had other ideas as he screamed his way to a 50-ball 94 taking KKR to its second title. KKR to date remain one of only three teams to have lifted the IPL title more than once.
Since their win in 2014, KKR haven’t really been their best. In IPL 2015, they finished third on the points table and failed to qualify for the playoffs. In IPL 2016, KKR reached theplayoffs but were ousted in the eliminator.
IPL 2017 was a slightly better one for KKR. They finished on third place in the points table and then beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in the eliminator. However, KKR fell short against the might of Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2.
IPL 2018 was also a similar season for KKR where they qualified for the playoffs, then beat Rajasthan Royals in the qualifier before bowing out of the competition in Qualifier 2.
IPL 2019 and IPL 2020 have been disappointing seasons for KKR where they failed to qualify for the playoffs each time.
KKR also had a shift in leadership with Dinesh Karthik relinquishing captaincy midway through the 13th season. Eoin Morgan is currently the captain of the KKR unit. The Kolkata franchise did not have the best of times in IPL 2021 and were placed on seventh spot before the tournament was suspended.
Conclusion
Kolkata Knight Riders is certainly one of the strongest teams in the competition and when in full force, there are few teams that can match KKR’s skillset. However, they will have to look for some sort of inspiration when the IPL returns in September to get the campaign back on track.
