Top 3 finds of KKR in Indian Premier League

It won’t be wrong to say that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are the third most successful franchise in the history of the Indian Premier League. After all, they won the title two times in 2012 and 2014. Only Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are ahead of them in terms of winning the title.

Being one of the biggest franchises, KKR has also produced many cricketers who have done great in their careers. On that note, we will take a look at 3 finds of KKR in IPL.

Players unearthed by Kolkata Knight Riders

3. Sanju Samson

Sanju Samon (Source - Twitter)

The right-handed wicketkeeper–batter Sanju Samson is one of the most talented and successful cricketers in IPL history. He got his first breakthrough in the cash-rich league when KKR signed him in 2012 but he didn’t play a single game. However, he got his recognition when Rajasthan Royals (RR) bought him in 2013 and since then he became a well-known player in every household. His immense success in IPL helped him to get a maiden international call from the Indian Cricket Board. He was also named the captain for RR in 2022 and led them to the final as well.

2. Venkatesh Iyer

Venkatesh Iyer (Source - Twitter)

The left-handed allrounder from Madhya Pradesh, Venkatesh Iyer, was bought by KKR in 2021 and performed very well in his debut season which led him to receive a maiden call from the Indian team. Iyer smashed 370 runs in 10 matches in the 14th edition of IPL, he also picked up 3 wickets. However, he failed to produce anything special in 2022 but in IPL 2023, he is performing very well so far and also broke KKR’s 15-year-old century drought by hitting his maiden hundred against MI in IPL 2023.

1. Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill (Source - Twitter)

KKR’s biggest mistake of IPL is that they didn’t retain the young sensation Shubman Gill after the 2021 season and released him. Gill is now one of India’s go-to opening batters in all three formats. KKR bought him in 2018 for INR 1.8 crore, however, he didn’t play well in his initial season but adopted the gameplay very well in the next seasons. In 2020, Gill smashed 440 runs in the 14 matches he played. However, in 2022 Gujarat Titans secured his services and he has also responded very well by helping them to win the title in their debut season.