5 Players you didn’t know once played for KKR

KKR IPL 2024 Champions. (Photo Source: R.SATISH BABU/AFP via Getty Images)

In its history of 17 years, multiple legendary cricketers represented Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. Their team in 2008 featured the likes of Sourav Ganguly, Ricky Ponting, Chris Gayle, and Brendon McCullum – which is iconic, to say the least. Over the years, multiple other stars got associated with the franchise but none of them was quite Gautam Gambhir, who won two titles as captain and one as mentor.

The franchise struggled massively in its initial years but Gambhir changed its fate in 2012. They also started investing in quality T20 players, like Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, who made a difference. They also had underdog players such as Manvinder Bisla, Manish Pandey, and Chris Lynn among others, who made significant contributions to their success over the years.

Finally, there is a set of players who never got into the limelight but played for the franchise in the past. Some of them are absolute legends of the game while others couldn’t get a crack into the team because of being young or inexperienced.

Here is a list of five cricketers that you didn’t know featured for KKR:

5. Ajit Agarkar

The current BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar played for KKR in the first three editions of the tournament, that is in 2008, 2009, and 2010. The franchise signed him for US$350 in the 2008 mega-auction and the all-rounder went on to play 27 matches for the team, picking up 18 wickets. He was pretty ordinary during his stay in Kolkata, which is why, the team management let him go ahead of the 2011 mega-auction. The former India cricketer then went on to join Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals).

4. Harbhajan Singh

Legendary cricketer Harbhajan Singh won multiple IPL titles before joining Kolkata Knight Riders in 2021. The off-spinner previously captained Mumbai Indians and played for the franchise till 2017 before joining their arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings in the 2018 mega-auction. He played two seasons for Chennai before they released him.

In 2021, Harbhajan was the last buy in the auction. No franchise showed interest initially but in the accelerated round, KKR signed him as there was a loud applause from the other franchise, showing respect to the cricketer. KKR spent INR 2 crore to sign the 44-year-old and played him three games in the season.

In three matches, Harbhajan bowled only seven overs and conceded 63 runs without any success. He wasn’t heavily impactful but the cricketer guided the spinners such as Varun Chakravarthy and Shakib Al Hasan. KKR eventually qualified for the final but unfortunately lost to Chennai by 27 runs.

Also Read – IPL 2025: 5 Capped and 1 uncapped player KKR might retain ahead of the mega-auction

3. Mitchell Johnson

Former Australia pacer Mitchell Johnson was in the form of his life when KKR signed him in 2018. He was bought for INR 2 crore and with him, the franchise expected to solve their pace problem but that didn’t happen. Johnson played only six games that season and picked up two wickets at an economy rate of 10.28.

He proved to be extremely costly and his lack of picking wickets with the new ball forced KKR to release him ahead of the 2019 edition. Johnson never played in the IPL again after that Overall, he has played 54 games in the cash-rich league, picking up 61 wickets at an average of 27.90.

2. Trent Boult

One of the most successful bowlers in IPL history, Trent Boult played for KKR in the 2017 season. KKR were looking to build a good pace unit and for the same reason, they signed Boult for INR 5 crore and also added Chris Woakes and Nathan Coulter-Nile in the set-up. The surface of Eden Gardens started supporting the pacers and for the same reason, Gambhir wanted to add someone like Boult, who could make a difference with the new ball.

However, Boult wasn’t very successful. He played six games for the franchise, picking up five wickets at an average of 43.20. Given his poor showing, KKR did not want to retain him ahead of the 2018 auction and that decision proved to be costly for them.

Boult played for Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, and Rajasthan Royals after his stint with KKR and is now regarded as one of the best foreign pacers to play in the cash-rich league. He played 104 games in the competition, picking up 121 wickets at an average of 26.69.

1. Sanju Samson

The legend of Sanju Samson began in Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012. The franchise recruited him pretty early but unfortunately, couldn’t hand him any opportunity. He joined the team for INR 8 lakh and warmed the bench for the entire tournament. With KKR doing well in the 2012 season and especially with Brendon McCullum, Manvinder Bisla, and Brad Haddin available as keeping options, Samson couldn’t break into the team.

Samson was only 17 at that time and given his potential, KKR was expected to keep him but the franchise interestingly decided to release him, especially with so many keeper-batters already available. He went on to join Rajasthan Royals, where his dream journey began. He briefly played for Delhi Capitals but it was in Rajasthan, where he found tremendous success.

Overall, he has played 168 matches in the IPL and scored 4419 runs at a strike rate of 138.96. He also went on to captain Rajasthan to an IPL final in 2022 but lost to Gujarat Titans by seven wickets in the summit clash.

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