KKR Squad 2023, Kolkata Knight Riders IPL Players List

IPL 2023: After MI and CSK, if there is any team that has won the IPL twice or more, then it is the Kolkata Knight Riders. KKR won the IPL title in 2012 and 2014 under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir. Apart from that, they were also the runners-up in the 2021 season. The two-time champions ended the 2022 season in 7th place with six wins out of 14 games. That is why the franchise looked keen at the auction table in the IPL auction 2023.

However, they did some big chopping and changing ahead of the auction. They traded in Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Lockie Ferguson from the 2022 winner Gujarat Titans earlier. Apart from that, they also traded Indian pace-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur to give more balance to the team. The team already had the likes of Andre Russell, Shreyas Iyer, Sunil Narine, and Tim Southee on their side. And they also did a fair job at the auction.

KKR Squad 2023

The current squad for KKR shows that their strength depends on the quality of world-class all-rounders in the team. The likes of Russell, Narine, Wiese, and Shakib are proven all-rounders, and all of them in one team will make any team stronger. The Kiwi duo of Southee and Ferguson, along with Umesh Yadav, will handle the pace bowling. Iyer, Rinku Singh, and Nitish Rana are the key members of the batting. Overall, this team has some serious players who can win the game single-handedly.

IPL 2023: KKR Complete Squad

Shreyas Iyer (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Varun Chakravarthy, Shakib Al Hasan, David Wiese, Litton Das, Anukul Roy, Rinku Singh, N. Jagadeesan, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Suyash Sharma, Kulwant Khejroliya, Mandeep Singh.

Kolkata Knight Riders Players List with Price

Total Players: 22 (14 Indians and 8 Overseas)

Remaining Purse Value: INR 1.65 crore

“O” for Overseas

IPL 2023: Kolkata Knight Riders has invested in quality all-rounders

Andre Russell and Sunil Narine are the backbone of the two-time champions. They are the proven match-winners, capable of winning games in both departments. In T20 cricket, an all-rounder is always an important member of the team.That’s why the franchise did a wise thing and invested mainly in all-rounders and in-form players. KKR entered the auction with the lowest remaining purse value of INR 7.05 crore and 11 slots to fill, including three overseas. And eventually, the franchise will be happy with the players they have picked.

With not much money left in the kitty, the franchise was not very active in the initial stage of the auction. But when the unsold player from the first half, came up for re-auction, KKR went according to plan. The biggest name they picked in the auction was No. 1-ranked all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan for his base price of INR 1.5 crore. Shakib has previously played for KKR between the 2011 and 2017 seasons. Then, he was also part of the 2021 season when KKR played the final. Apart from him, the franchise has also picked Namibian veteran all-rounder David Wiese, making him the first player from his country to feature in the IPL.

However, KKR picked Narayan Jagadeesan as their first pick in the 2023 auction for just INR 90 lakh, which could prove to be a steal of a deal for them. The franchise has also picked up star Bangladeshi batter Litton Das, who has performed well against India in recent times, for just INR 50 lakh. KKR has also signed experienced batter Mandeep Singh for INR 50 lakh.

IPL 2023 All Team Squad