Kolkata Knight Riders are one of the most talented and popular IPL franchises and are known for their consistency in the league. They are a two-time IPL champion and made it to the playoffs six times.
Some of the greatest cricketing legends donned KKR's jersey and played for the franchise. However, they did not enjoy the kind of success they should have enjoyed, during their time with the franchise.
Fortunately, after leaving KKR, they went on to have great seasons with other franchises and made an impact on the team. Through the course of this article, let us take a look at four players whose careers blossomed after leaving KKR.
#4 Moises Henriques
Moises Henriques entered the league when he was selected by the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2009 for $300,000. He got only limited opportunities as he featured in just 4 matches but has shown everyone that has the talent and skill to make it big in the league.
He was later traded to Delhi Daredevils in 2010, in exchange for Manoj Tiwary. The story was same as he only featured in one game and was not given chances to prove himself. After a decent season with RCB in 2013, he was picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad and that changed his fate forever.
He spent four seasons with the franchise and quickly transitioned into their main all-rounder and contributed in every way he could to lead the team to victory. In 2016, when SRH lifted the trophy, Henriques played a key role, with both bat and ball, scoring 182 runs and picking up 12 wickets.
In IPL 2018 auction, he went unsold and pundits and fans called it one of the biggest blunders by teams that they did not opt for an all-rounder like Henriques.
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#3 Wriddhiman Saha
Wriddhiman Saha is probably the best Indian wicket-keeper today and is safe as houses behind the stumps. The Bengal lad was with the Kolkata Knight Riders for his first three years in the IPL.
Saha did not have a great time with the bat although he was really impressive with his glove work. He then spent three years playing for Chennai Super Kings, but with Dhoni as the wicketkeeper, Saha did not get enough chances.
His career took a turn when he came to Kings XI Punjab as he quickly became one of their main batsmen and led them to some famous victories. His 93* (55) against Mumbai Indians and 115 against KKR in the finals of IPL 2014 will be cherished forever by the fans.
Saha had a forgettable season with SRH this year and was subsequently released by the franchise.
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#2 Brendon McCullum
Brandon McCullum's 158* while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in the opener of the inaugural IPL season was the then highest individual score in a T20 game before it was eclipsed by Chris Gayle's 175 in IPL 2013.
After spending his first three years of IPL career at KKR, he played for Kochi Tuskers Kerala and returned back to the franchise for another two-year stint. All in all, he spent five years with KKR and enjoyed a decent career.
However, the two seasons (2014-15) he spent playing for Chennai Super Kings will be widely remembered by the fans because of the kind of innings he has played. He scored 3 fifties and a hundred with the CSK franchise.
He spent 2016 and 2017 editions of IPL playing for the Gujarat Lions and played some wonderful innings before joining the Royal Challengers Bangalore for IPL 2018. He only featured in 6 matches and did not enjoy great success.
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#1 Chris Gayle
Chris Gayle will be remembered forever as an IPL legend because that is the kind of impact the West Indies man has created. He is best known for his seven-year stint with the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
In fact, a lot of people might not even remember this but it was Kolkata Knight Riders who first selected him in 2008 for the first IPL edition. However, due to a groin injury suffered earlier, Gayle could not feature in the playing XI for the franchise.
He returned to play for KKR in 2009 and 2010 editions of IPL and had a mediocre season, scoring 463 runs in 16 matches. Before the start of IPL 2011, he signed a one-year deal with RCB for $650,000.
The 'Universe Boss' slammed five centuries with the RCB franchise, including his 175* (66) against the Pune Warriors. He gave monstrous starts to the team at the top of the order and scored runs at a blistering rate.
After not-so-great IPL 2017, where he scored just 200 runs in 9 matches, Gayle was not retained by RCB. He was selected by the Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2018 auction and featured in 11 matches, scored 368 runs at a strike rate of 146.03, including 3 half-centuries and a century.
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