All about Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2021

Kolkata Knight Riders have always been in the news because of its star players and celebrity owners. The team has gone through many ups and downs over the years but they have always risen to the occasion. KKR is the first team in IPL to register a victory when they defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore in tournament’s first ever match by 140 runs. From Brendon McCullum to Andre Russell, the team has produced some star players over the years. In IPL 2021, they will be eager to book a place in the playoffs.

About Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2021 Team

Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2021 campaign was a forgettable one in the first phase. The team had 2 wins and 5 losses in its tally before the tournament was postponed. An unsettled bowling line-up and a misfiring top order have been two big concerns for them. But they have started their second phase in a bright fashion by winning their first two matches against quality teams Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians. This will be a confident booster for the team and they will look to turn the tables around.

KKR IPL 2021 Stats

Team	Matches	Wins	Losses	Net Run Rate	Points
Kolkata Knight Riders	9	4	5	+0.363	8

KKR team 2021 players list

KKR had a dismal campaign in the first phase but they have started their second phase on a bright note. Let’s have a look at Kolkata Knight Riders IPL team 2021 players list.

Eoin Morgan (C), Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy, Tim Seifert (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Harbhajan Singh, Ben Cutting, Karun Nair, Pawan Negi, Sheldon Jackson (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Vaibhav Arora, Gurkeerat Singh Mann.

KKR’s premier fast bowler Pat Cummins has withdrawn from the second phase. NZ fast bowler Tim Southee replaces him in the squad.
In the absence of Cummins, NZ quick Lockie Ferguson is the frontrunner to replace him. Ferguson has replace Cummins in KKR’s Playing 11. He returned decent figures of 2-24 in the first games against RCB. In the second game, he showed his excellent death bowling skills against the likes of Pollard.

KKR released players 2021

Before the IPL 2021 auctions, 5 players were released from Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2021 team. After releasing and retaining players, KKR had 10.85 Crore INR in their wallet for IPL 2021 auction. The list wasn’t very big which meant the core of the team remained the same. Let’s have a look at the list of the released players.

Tom Banton
Chris Green
M Siddharth
Siddhesh Lad
Nikhil Naik

KKR retained players 2021

17 players were retained in Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2021 squad. The list did not have any big surprise and the names of these players were expected. Let’s take a look at the list of retained players.

Eoin Morgan, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Pat Cummins, Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Tim Seifert.

Out of these names, Pat Cummins withdrew from the second phase and Tim Southee replaced him. Rest of the squad is the same.

KKR 2021 captain

Eoin Morgan is KKR’s captain for IPL 2021. The left-handed batsman had a poor season in IPL 2021 first phase. Morgan scored 92 runs in 8 matches at an average of just over 15. He will look to lead from the front and put an example before his team. He is a devastating middle order batsman and is also a quality finisher. On the field, Morgan is known for his shrewd tactics. Morgan will have the responsibility to bring IPL 2021 KKR campaign back on track.

Eoin Morgan is also England’s captain in ODIs and T20Is. He led England to 2019 ICC World Cup win and will be eager to prove himself in the upcoming T20 World Cup.

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FAQS

Who is the KKR captain in 2021?

Eoin Morgan is KKR captain for the 2021 season of IPL. Morgan led KKR during the first phase but the team didn’t have many results in its favour. With 2 wins and 5 losses, KKR were languishing at the second last position in the points table. With the start of second phase, they will hope for a turnaround of fortunes. They have already started on a good note with consecutive wins in first two matches in which Morgan has played a big role with his captaincy. Morgan is a capable middle order batsman and is known for his finishing skills. He took over KKR’s captaincy when Dinesh Karthik stepped aside from the role midway through the 2020 season. Since then, Eoin Morgan has been an integral part of KKR’s set-up.

How many matches KKR played 2021?

KKR has played 9 matches in IPL 2021 till now. Out of these, they have won 4 matches and lost 5. The Knight Riders had a poor outing in the first phase with just 2 wins out of 7 matches. But they have started their campaign in the second phase on a positive note. They are looking in form and will look to build onto this momentum in the upcoming games. KKR will play its next game against Chennai Super Kings on 26 September.

Which players did KKR buy in 2021?

Apart from releasing and retaining players, KKR bought some exciting talents in the 2021 auction. Out of these players, 6 were Indians while 2 were overseas players. Here’s the list of all players bought in IPL 2021 auction: