Three-time IPL winners Kolkata Knight Riders are now the second-most successful side in the tournament after Mumbai Indians’ and Chennai Super Kings’ tally of five titles each. However, the recent success of KKR does not define the franchise’s early struggles in the IPL.
In the first three seasons of the IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders failed to secure a single playoff finish under Sourav Ganguly’s leadership. The franchise then made the decision to not retain Ganguly in the IPL 2011 mega auction.
Incidentally, the Kolkata fans were quite upset with the decision to let Ganguly go. Former KKR team director Joy Bhattacharjya came forward and talked about the atmosphere after Ganguly was not picked by the franchise. He also revealed team owner Shah Rukh Khan’s involvement in the decision.
"When Sourav Ganguly was not bid for, within five minutes I got 400 messages on my phone. There was somebody who put on all groups saying, 'This is a Bengali who has betrayed our Bengali icon Sourav Ganguly; please tell him what we think of him,'" Bhattacharjya said on 'A Century of Stories' podcast.
"It reached a stage where I had to turn around and tell my dad that perhaps he should take down our address board from his house in Salt Lake," Bhattacharjya added.
Furthermore, Bhattacharjya revealed that Shah Rukh Khan left the decision to the higher-ups, that it was up to them to retain Ganguly or not. "Shah Rukh first distanced himself. He said, 'If you want Sourav, keep Sourav. If you don't want him, your call. Dav Whatmore was the coach; I was there; Venky Mysore, the CEO, was there," Bhattacharjya said.
After letting go of Ganguly, Kolkata Knight Riders went on to win the IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, which was one of the most successful phases for the franchise. Furthermore, the side also won the IPL in 2024, and will come into the new season as defending champions.