IPL Team: Kolkata Knight Riders- Captain, Squad, History, Trophy and More
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the defending champions of IPL 2025, are all set to win yet another tournament. The team is one of the most successful franchises and the only team that has multiple IPL titles apart from Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI). To continue their success and win the 4th title, they have retained most of their players in the mega auction. The team is looking strong on papers, but is it really strong? Can this team defend their title? Let’s explore the KKR’s matches in IPL 2025, their squad, and the winning chances of the team in this blog.
KKR’s IPL History:
KKR is a part of the IPL from the very first season. The team was acquired by the Red Chillies Entertainment, a company of Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan. Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta also have a share in the team. Sourav Ganguly was made the captain of the team in the first season. However, despite the big names in the team, it could not perform well. The team won only 6 matches in the first season and finished at number 6 on the points table.
List of Orange Cap Winners in IPL History
In 2012 KKR won the first title under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir repeated his magic in 2014, winning the title of IPL for the second time for the team. However, after this, the team could not perform well, and till 2023 they had only made their place 4 times in the play-off. In 2024, under the captaincy of Shreyes Iyer, the team won for the third time lifting the cup. Here is the year-wise journey of the team in IPL:
| Year | W | L | Group Stage Position | Final Standing |
| 2008 | 6 | 7 | 6th out of 8 | League stage |
| 2009 | 3 | 10 | 8th out of 8 | League stage |
| 2010 | 7 | 7 | 6th out of 8 | League stage |
| 2011 | 8 | 7 | 4th out of 10 | Playoffs |
| 2012 | 12 | 5 | 2nd out of 9 | Champions |
| 2013 | 6 | 10 | 7th out of 9 | League stage |
| 2014 | 11 | 5 | 2nd out of 8 | Champions |
| 2015 | 7 | 6 | 5th out of 8 | League stage |
| 2016 | 8 | 7 | 4th out of 8 | Playoffs |
| 2017 | 9 | 7 | 3rd out of 8 | Playoffs |
| 2018 | 9 | 7 | 3rd out of 8 | Playoffs |
| 2019 | 6 | 8 | 5th out of 8 | League stage |
| 2020 | 7 | 7 | 5th out of 8 | League stage |
| 2021 | 9 | 8 | 4th out of 8 | Runners-up |
| 2022 | 6 | 8 | 7th out of 10 | League stage |
| 2023 | 6 | 8 | 7th out of 10 | League stage |
| 2024 | 11 | 3 | 1st out of 10 | Champions |
KKR’s IPL 2025 Matches & Schedule:
As defending champions, KKR will play the first game of the IPL on March 22. They will face the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their first match of IPL. There will be a total of 14 matches KKR will play in IPL 2025.
The team is in Group A along with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), and Punjab Kings (PBKS). They will face twice each team of Group A, while once to each team of Group B (except Sunrisers Hyderabad, which they play twice).
Complete Schedule of KKR in IPL 2025:
| S. No. | Date | Match | Venue | Time (IST) |
| 1 | Mar 22 (Sat) | KKR vs RCB | Kolkata | 7:30 PM |
| 2 | Mar 26 (Wed) | KKR vs RR | Guwahati | 7:30 PM |
| 3 | Mar 31 (Mon) | KKR vs MI | Mumbai | 7:30 PM |
| 4 | Apr 3 (Thu) | KKR vs SRH | Kolkata | 7:30 PM |
| 5 | Apr 6 (Sun) | KKR vs LSG | Kolkata | 3:30 PM |
| 6 | Apr 11 (Fri) | KKR vs CSK | Chennai | 7:30 PM |
| 7 | Apr 15 (Tue) | KKR vs PBKS | New Chandigarh | 7:30 PM |
| 8 | Apr 21 (Mon) | KKR vs GT | Kolkata | 7:30 PM |
| 9 | Apr 26 (Sat) | KKR vs PBKS | Kolkata | 7:30 PM |
| 10 | Apr 29 (Tue) | KKR vs DC | Delhi | 7:30 PM |
| 11 | May 4 (Sun) | KKR vs RR | Kolkata | 7:30 PM |
| 12 | May 7 (Wed) | KKR vs CSK | Kolkata | 7:30 PM |
| 13 | May 10 (Sat) | KKR vs SRH | Hyderabad | 7:30 PM |
| 14 | May 17 (Sat) | KKR vs RCB | Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
KKR’s IPL 2025 Squad:
KKR has retained their top players. However, they could not retain their captain Shreyas Iyer. The team had released him before the mega auction, where Punjab Kings had bought him in ?26.75 crore. The top pliers retained by the team are Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy.
Key Players of the team:
- Batting Strength: Ajinkya Rahane Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Quinton de Kock
- Bowling Attack: Varun Chakravarthy, Anrich Nortje, Sunil Narine
- All-rounders: Andre Russell, Moeen Ali, Rovman Powell
Complete KKR Squad for IPL 2025:
| Player | Role | Price (INR) |
| Rinku Singh (Retained) | Batter | 13 Cr |
| Varun Chakravarthy (Retained) | Bowler | 12 Cr |
| Sunil Narine (Retained) | All-rounder | 12 Cr |
| Andre Russell (Retained) | All-rounder | 12 Cr |
| Harshit Rana (Retained) | Bowler | 4 Cr |
| Ramandeep Singh (Retained) | All-rounder | 4 Cr |
| Ajinkya Rahane | Batter | 1.5 Cr |
| Venkatesh Iyer | All-rounder | 23.75 Cr |
| Quinton de Kock | Wicketkeeper Batter | 3.60 Cr |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Wicketkeeper Batter | 2 Cr |
| Anrich Nortje | Bowler | 6.5 Cr |
| Angkrish Raghuvanshi | Batter | 3 Cr |
| Vaibhav Arora | Bowler | 1.80 Cr |
| Mayank Markande | Bowler | 30 Lakh |
| Rovman Powell | All-rounder | 1.50 Cr |
| Manish Pandey | Batter | 75 Lakh |
| Spencer Johnson | Bowler | 2.80 Cr |
| Luvnith Sisodia | Wicketkeeper Batter | 30 Lakh |
| Anukul Roy | All-rounder | 40 Lakh |
| Moeen Ali | All-rounder | 2 Cr |
| Umran Malik | Bowler | 75 Lakh |
Who is the Captain of KKR for IPL 2025?
Shreyas Iyer, who won the cup for the team, is no longer a part of it. The team will look for a new captain for this season. Ajinkya Rahane will be the new captain of the team. He is the captain of the Mumbai team in the domestic leagues of India, where he has performed very well. Under his captaincy, the team won the Irani Cup and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He also led the team to the knockout stage of Ranji Trophy. Venkatesh Iyer will be the main vice captain of the team, who is the highest-paid player of the team.
What are KKR’s Chances of Winning IPL 2025?
KKR is the defending champion of IPL 2025. With the players like Russell, Narine, Rinku Singh, Iyer, Moeen Ali, Rahane and more, the team is looking strong. The team has the perfect balance of young and senior players. Here is our rating to the team and their predicted winning chances:
- Team Strength Rating: 8.5/10
- Winning Probability: 75%
- Strengths: Explosive all-rounders, experienced spinners, strong middle-order
- Challenges: Need consistent fast-bowling attack
To get the latest Updates about the KKR team in IPL 2025, subscribe to Khelostar News.
2 thoughts on “IPL Team: Kolkata Knight Riders- Captain, Squad, History, Trophy and More”