The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League may be suspended indefinitely, but the craze around IPL and the eight franchises, is still intact. It was a sad moment for all cricket fans when the suspension of IPL was announced. However, the discussions about the teams, the players, their managers, owners, etc., are neverending.
IPL fans are inquisitive about small details related to their favorite teams such as Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals, etc., especially when it comes to a Bollywood superstar being associated with a team. This blog answers the common question of who is the owner of KKR or KKR owner in IPL
Also Read: Who is the Owner of RCB?
Owner of KKR in 2022
Kolkata Knight Riders is an IPL franchise team that represents the city of Kolkata. KKR gained immense popularity due to its association with Bollywood celebrities who are also the franchise owners.
The owner of Kolkata Knight Riders is the Bollywood Superstar and the Baadshah of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan. KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan owns the team along with the actress Juhi Chawla and her husband, Jay Mehta.
The Kolkata Knight Riders franchise was bought by Shah Rukh Khan’s company, Red Chillies Entertainment, in a partnership with Juhi Chawla and her spouse Jay Mehta (representing Mehta Group) in 2008 for $75.09 million, which was approximately INR 2.98 billion at that time.
While Red Chillies Entertainment has a stake of 55% in the franchise, Mehta Group has a 45% stake in KKR. The franchise co-owner, Shah Rukh Khan, is the face of KKR, while Juhi Chawla and Jay Mehta handle the management and auction operations of the team.
We all remember the famous theme song of the team, with KKR’s owner Shah Rukh Khan dancing to, “Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo Re” which means “we will perform, we will fight, and win”.
KKR Franchise History
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) incorporated the Indian Premier League in 2007, based on the T20 format. Kolkata Knight Riders was one of the eight teams to participate in the inaugural tournament held in 2008. KKR, which represents Kolkata, was bought by Shah Rukh Khan’s company Red Chillies Entertainment in partnership with the other co-owners. Eoin Morgan is the current skipper of the franchise.
At that time, Sourav Ganguly was named the Icon Player for KKR. Sourav Ganguly was the former captain of the Indian cricket team and is the current President of BCCI.
In June 2015, the KKR team’s ownership group bought a stake in the Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel of the Caribbean Premier League and renamed it to Trinbago Knight Riders. The KKR team also has an investment in the American Twenty20 Major League Cricket.
Venky Mysore, the Knight Riders Group CEO, has announced the team’s entry into the South African T20 tournament as Cape Town Knight Riders this year. Venky Mysore also intends to invest in The Hundred, which is the ECB’s new competition format.
Also Read: Which Bollywood star partly owns Kings XI Punjab?
KKR’s IPL Journey
The initial IPL seasons of the Shah Rukh-owned franchise had been disappointing. However, The team surprised its fans and made news by winning the coveted IPL trophy in 2012 and 2014. KKR has also reached the playoffs four times. KKR has major rivalries with two IPL teams – Mumbai Indians and RCB.
From 2015-2018, Mumbai Indians had an 8-game winning streak against KKR, which was broken in 2019. KKR’s Andre Russell and Hardik Pandya scored 80 runs and 91 runs, respectively, for the 100th T20 win of the team.
In 2019, in a match against RCB, KKR had to chase a target of 206 set by RCB. KKR started on a strong foot with 28/0 in 1.3 overs but soon lost wickets regularly and reached 139/4 in 15.5 overs. The partnership of Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik brought the game back on track for the team. Karthik got out at 19 off 15 balls, but Russell took the team over the line with 48 off 13 balls.
Interesting Facts about KKR
Here are some exciting facts that would intrigue all you KKR fans.
- The Eoin Morgan-led Kolkata Knight Riders derived its name from the popular American Television series in the 1980s, Knight Rider.
- The KKR team holds a record for the longest winning streak by any Indian team in Twenty20 cricket.
- In 2012, KKR owner Shah Rukh Khan was banned from Wankhede Stadium for 5 years.
- The purple and gold jersey of the team was designed by the renowned fashion designer Manish Malhotra.
- The Eoin Morgan-led team has made several changes in its coaching and support staff, making former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum the head coach and the former Australian cricketer David Hussey as a mentor.
Such information on IPL and the eight teams is crucial for fans as they religiously follow every match of their favorite team and its rivals. If you are into fantasy sports, you can play fantasy cricket on MPL for different cricket formats while waiting for the new IPL season.
