The Knights in shining armour - An Overview of Kolkata Knight Riders

27th March (CRICKETNMORE) - If there is one contender for a team that has experienced the highs and lows of IPL cricket, then it has to be the Kolkata Knight Riders, my home team. From coming last in the 2009 edition, to reaching the pinnacle in 2012 and 2014 under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir, the KKR team, owned by Bollywood 'Badshah' Shah Rukh Khan has seen it all. Its anthem 'Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo' (We will do, we will fight, we will win) perfectly embodies the team spirit that has always worn its heart on its sleeve. Perhaps, that is more so because of the aura associated with Kolkatan fans and the iconic Eden Gardens.

A team owned by Shah Rukh Khan, you would expect it to be full of glitz and glamour, and that is what exactly KKR has been known to be with its fanfare and unique marketing strategies throughout the IPL editions. Infact, their brand value was estimated at $57.5 million in 2011, ranking third amongst all IPL teams.

Winning the bid for the Kolkata team, its owners-Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla and Jai Mehta decided to name former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly as their icon player and captain. Though they got off to a splendid start against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the inaugral edition, best remembered for Brendon McCullum's 158 run blitzkrieg, but an inconsistent performance mid-tournament saw them ranked 6th. Despite possessing some greats of the game like Ricky Ponting, Shoiab Akhtar, Chris Gayle, Umar Gul and Brendon McCullum in its ranks, allegations like wrong team compositions and Dada's attitude problems cropped up.

The 2009 season of the IPL, played in South Africa, was by far KKR's worst perormance in franchise history where they finished at the bottom of the table with three wins and ten losses including a string of nine successive defeats. Moreover, off-field activities and Sourav Ganguly's decresing rapport with then coach John Buchanan gripped the ailing team, which saw Brendon McCullum doning the captain's hat in a few matches. 

However, KKR's fortunes received a leg-up from the 2011 season, where the team management decided to completely overhaul the team.  Gautam Gambhir, who was bought for a record-breaking $2.4 million was appointed as skipper and they also managed to rope in Yusuf Pathan for $2.1 million. Internationa names added to the squad inclued allrounders Shakib Al Hasan and Jacques Kallis and Aussie paceman Brett Lee. After a lull of 3 years, they finally managed to enter the play-offs but crashed out after losing to Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator.

The year saw a huge uproar in Kolkata since KKR did not pick up Sourav Ganguly in the auctions and protests broke out with slogans like 'No Dada, no KKR'. But it came to a halt and the fans gradually returned to the stadium as the team's performance improved.

KKR managed to win the 2012 edition of the IPL. With a new coach in Trevor Bayliss, and with the services of West Indian mystery spinner Sunil Narine, the knights dorned the shining armour and outclassed their opponents with consistent batting and improved bowling performnaces. Narine was named the player of the tournament and since then has gone on to become a vital cog in the team's fortunes.

Come 2014 and KKR brought out their  A game again, this time with new recruits like Robin Uthappa, Morne Morkel, Umesh Yadav, Manish Pandey playing out of their skins to give KKR their second title in three years, a feat achieved only by MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings. With five losses in seven games, no one gave them a chance to reach the qualifiers, but promoting Uthappa to the opener's slot paid them off and runs continued to blaze off his bat which saw KKR winning 7 games in a row. Facing Kings XI Punjab in the finals, Manish Pandey (94 in 81 balls) led the charge and KKR secured a win in a nail-biting finish.

Abhishek De