The Kolkata Knight Riders in the first three seasons never managed to reach the knockout stages of the tournament. In the 2011 IPL auctions, the Kolkata-based franchise wanted a major revamp and retained none of the players who played for them in the first three seasons. They splashed over 40 crores to buy 12 players in the auction. The team management exhibited their fearlessness to spend big and they have continued to do the same since 2011.
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All the big-money players bought by them have played a key role in their title-winning seasons. They boast a brand value of $86 million in an evaluation in 2015, which is the highest by some margin. The Kolkata franchise outlay money watchfully and have always chased players who bring more balance to the team rather than the commercial impact a signing would make.
Therefore they possess a complete team with the likes of big-hitting all-rounder Andre Russel, mystery spinner Sunil Narine, and are boosted by the presence of Yusuf Pathan and Robin Uthappa and finally, led by dashing opener Gautam Gambhir.
Let us take a look at the 5 most expensive players who have represented the Knight Riders.
#5 Brendon McCullum – 4.7 Crores
Brendon McCullum set the stage on fire when he smashed an unbeaten 158 against a dismal RCB side in the first ever match in IPL history. He managed only two fifties in the next two seasons with the Knight Riders.
Eventually, he was released after the third edition. Kolkata purchased McCullum again in 2012 for 4.7 crores after the Kochi franchise was scrapped. McCullum scored 289 runs in the 5th edition of IPL with an average of 24.08. His unavailability in the 6th edition due to his international commitments forced the Knight Riders not to retain him.
He went on to represent Chennai Super Kings for two seasons and now plies his trade for the Gujarat Lions. He boasts an IPL career strike rate of 129.39 which is very impressive. Since retiring from international cricket, McCullum has played in almost all the top cricket leagues in the world. Wherever he plays, McCullum is prominent for putting the bowlers under pressure right from the first ball.
#4 Robin Uthappa – 5 crores
Robin Uthappa was an inconsistent performer early on in his IPL career, and could manage just 17 runs off 15 balls when he was expected to take RCB over the line in the 2nd IPL final. Since then, he changed his approach and transformed into an aggressive player. He has played for more than 3 teams in the IPL, and was bought for a whopping 9.7 crores by the now defunct Pune Warriors.
In 2014, however, he was purchased for an amount of 5 crores by the Kolkata outfit who were desperate for a wicket-keeping opener. In his first season with the Knight Riders, he led them to their second title. He was the highest run-getter in IPL-7, scoring 660 runs at an average of 44.00. Uthappa is renowned for his wide range of shots and ability to provide solid starts for the team. He has earned the title 'Mr. Consistent' for his brilliant contribution at the top of the order every season.
In case you didn’t know, Uthappa boasts the record for scoring 40+ scores in ten consecutive T20 innings.
#3 Jaques Kallis – 5.5 Crores
Jacques Kallis will remain the most successful all-rounder in our memories for years to come. His achievements and accolades as an all-rounder are extremely difficult to surpass. When he made his IPL debut, he was well into his 30s. Yet, he played a pivotal role in RCB’s success in the 2009 edition. He was eventually released from the team following the third IPL tournament. For the 2011 edition, Kallis was bought for 5.5 Crores by KKR and was instrumental in the team's success from 2011-2013.
In the 2012 edition, Kallis bagged 15 wickets in which KKR won their first IPL crown. Following a highly successful stint in 2013 edition, he was bought for 5.5 crores by KKR using ‘Right to Match Card’ after he was released prior to the auctions.
Kallis scored 1295 runs in the purple-gold jersey at an average of 26.62. However, he found opportunities difficult to come by with young all-rounders like Andre Russell in the team. Therefore he retired after the 7th edition and is currently the head coach of KKR.
#2 Yusuf Pathan – 9.7 Crores
Yusuf Pathan was vital in Rajasthan Royals’ triumph in the first season of IPL and scored 435 runs at a staggering strike rate of 179.01. In 2010, he scored the fastest century in IPL history brutally smashing the Mumbai Indians bowlers only to fall 6 runs short of victory. Surprisingly, he wasn't retained by the Royals and hence the Kolkata-based franchise bought him for a whopping 9.7 crores after tough competition from other franchises.
Since then, Pathan has been a regular for the KKR side. He has relished the role of a finisher and his ability to spike the scoring rate has been of great benefit to the Kolkata-based side, along with his handy off-spinners when he opens the bowling.
Last season he churned out runs to hand important points to his team. The aggressive and fearless batsman has scored over 330 runs in almost every season. Pathan has an IPL career average of 30.67 at a strike rate of 146.78, and is also the fourth-highest scorer of sixes in the history of IPL.
#1 Gautam Gambhir – 11.4 Crores
Gautam Gambhir was released by Delhi after 3rd IPL season, and in the 2011 IPL auctions, he caused an aggressive bidding war between Kolkata, Pune, and Mumbai franchise. In the end, KKR emerged as the winner, bagging the Delhi batsman for 11.4 crores. Gambhir is now one of the mainstays of the Knight Riders’ batting line-up.
He repaid the owners faith soon by leading the outfit to their maiden IPL title in 2012. Under the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise, he has scaled new highs. He has led them to 2 IPL titles in 3 years, and has an IPL career average of 30.79.
Gambhir has the record for most fours in the history of IPL, and has crunched 422 fours, and amassing 2847 runs for the Kolkata outfit alone. He has always stepped up in difficult times and his performances have been the key to the team’s success over the years.
Under Gambhir, Kolkata Knight Riders have won the IPL under tough circumstances where one more defeat would have drawn the curtains to their hopes of reaching play-off spot. Gambhir is Knight Riders’ costliest player in their history and has not only lived up to the price tag but has also surpassed many expectations.
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