Who Are The Costliest Buys for Kolkata Knight Riders?

Kolkata Knight Riders (Source: iplt20.com)

The 16th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023) is just about a week away from the kick-off. When you talk about the IPL, one of the most popular teams over the years have been Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). They have lifted the trophy twice in 2012 and 2014 and after a few initial years have been one of the more consistent teams in the league. 

Over the years, KKR made some very useful buys and some of the buys have been very costly too. In this article, we will take a look at the top five most costliest buys of KKR in the history. 

5. Mitchell Starc (INR 9.4 Cr)

The Australian speedster had two decent seasons with RCB in 2014 and 2015. After this he refrained from playing in the mega league and in 2018 once again included his name in the IPL Auction draft. 

Mitchell Starc is the fifth highest buy of KKR (Source: AP Photo)

Kolkata Knight Riders retained two of their overseas players in Sunil Narine and Andre Russell. They were bent on getting a overseas pacer and when the name of Mitchell Starc came under the hammer, KKR management went after him. 

KKR was ultimately successful in buying him for INR 9.4 Cr. But he soon suffered an injury and was unavailable for the season and thus Kolkata was not able to utilise the bowler.

4. Chris Lynn (INR 9.6 Cr)

The Australian opener had been a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders team from 2014 to 2017. But ahead of the auction in 2018, they had to release him. The team management decided to buy him back in the auctions and spent INR 9.6 Cr once he went under the hammer. 

Chris Lynn playing for KKR (Source: iplt20.com)

Chris Lynn has played 40 matches for the franchise and has scored 1274 runs in them at a strike rate of 141.40 and an average of 34.43. Lynn did not go under the hammers in the auction ahead of IPL 2023. He played his last match against RCB where he scored 49 runs off 35 balls while playing for MI.

3. Yusuf Pathan (INR 9.66 Cr)

After three initial bad years in the league the KKR management was looking to revamp their squad ahead of the 2012 season. They wanted to build a strong Indian core, with which they could work around for a couple of seasons. 

Yusuf Pathan was one of the main architects in KKR's title winning efforts in 2012 and 2014 (Source: iplt20.com)

One of their prime targets was Yusuf Pathan and they paid INR 9.66 Cr to secure his services. Pathan served at his peak for the franchise and played a pivotal role in their two title winning runs in 2012 and 2014. 

During his stay at the franchise, Yusuf played 106 matches and scored 1893 runs in them at a strike rate of 138.28. He also picked up 21 wickets for them while conceding runs at an economy of 7.26. 

2. Gautam Gambhir (INR 11.04 Cr)

While KKR was looking to restructure their squad, the management wanted to hand over the leadership to someone who could help them to reach new heights. They spotted their next leader in Gautam Gambhir and bought him for a hefty price of INR 11.04 Cr. Gambhir took over the captaincy role and did wonders for the franchise. He led the team from the front to two titles in 2012 and 2014. 

Gautam Gambhir is the second most costliest player of KKR (Source: iplt20.com)

Gambhir played 108 matches for KKR and scored 3035 runs in them at a strike rate of 124.28 and an average of 31.61. He never failed to lay the foundation for the team and was the best leader the team has ever had. 

1.Pat Cummins (INR 15.5 Cr)

Pat Cummins was dominating the Test bowling rankings when KKR wanted to him in their scheme of things. They went hard after him and bought Cummins for a hefty price of INR 15.5 Cr in the auction ahead of IPL 2020. 

Pat Cummins is the highest priced player of KKR (Source: iplt20.com)

He played a couple of brilliant knocks for the team with the bat. But Cummins failed to deliver upto expectations with the ball. He has played a total of 30 matches for the franchise and has scored 302 runs in them at a strike rate of 154.08. If we speak about his bowling performances, Cummins has picked up 30 wickets while conceding runs at an economy of 8.73.