Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are one of the top teams in the Indian Premier League. The Knight Riders are the third most successful team in the IPL with three titles. They won their first title by beating CSK in the IPL 2012 final. They won their second title by beating Punjab Kings in the final.
The Kolkata-based franchise won their third title by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2024 final. The three-time IPL champions retained Rinku Singh (INR 13 crore), Varun Chakravarthy (INR 12 crore), Sunil Narine (INR 12 crore), Andre Russell (INR 12 crore), Harshit Rana (INR 4 crore), Ramandeep Singh (INR 4 crore) ahead of the IPL 2025 auction.
On the other hand, they let go of Shreyas Iyer and Mitchell Starc. So far in the history of the IPL, only CSK and MI have defended the title. It remains to be seen how the Kolkata-based franchise will go about their work in the upcoming season.
KKR have assembled a well-rounded squad for the IPL 2025 season which comprises explosive hitters, versatile all-rounders, and a balanced bowling attack. With their core of match-winners and fresh talent, KKR are ready to mount a strong campaign to reclaim the IPL trophy. Let’s take a look at KKR’s probable playing XI for the season.
Openers: Quinton de Kock, Sunil Narine
The experienced South African international Quinton de Kock is expected to go all guns blazing for Kolkata Knight Riders in the upcoming edition of the IPL. The aggressive left-handed batsman who played for Lucknow Super Giants in the last three seasons, knows the tricks and trades of the IPL.
Having been a part of the IPL since 2013, he played 107 games, scoring 3157 runs at an average of 31.2 under strike rate of 134.2, including two centuries and 23 half centuries. He is known for his ability to score runs quickly, especially in the power playoffs, and can rotate strike quite effectively. Besides that, he can keep the wickets.
Sunil Narine is expected to be a pinch hitter at the top of the order. He is known for his aggressive style of batting in the power play over and can easily unsettle the opposition bowlers by adopting a fearless brand of cricket.
Besides that, his exceptional world class spin bowling makes him a prized asset for KKR having played 177 games in the IPL, he scored 1534 runs, including one century and seven half centuries, and maintained an impressive strike rate of 165.8. On the other side of the coin, he picked up 180 wickets to his name, including 1 five-wicket haul.
