Team Preview - Kolkata Knight Riders

Performance in IPL 2008
Kolkatta were being touted as the best team after their first two wins but their performance nose-dived as the series progressed.
Kolkata's performance was as unpredictable as their speedster, Shoaib Akhtar at times.
At times they pulled off thrilling victories, like they did against Punjab, scoring 70 in the last four overs to seal victory.
Against Mumbai, they set the record for the lowest score in the tournament, being bundled out for 67. Against Delhi, they pulled off a remarkable victory, winning by 23 runs despite only scoring 133 runs - thanks to a blistering spell from Shoaib Akhtar. Ultimately, Kolkatta weren't consistent enough and had to settle for sixth place.
Financially, the Knight Riders were easily the most successful franchise in the IPL, achieving a profit of Rs. 13 crore.
Whos in, whos out
Kolkata Knight Riders was among the least active franchises during the off season, with no player trades. However, the team signed Mohnish Parmar during the off season and also re-signed Ajantha Mendis for a long term deal. The most notable personnel move for Knight Riders came during the 2009 IPL Auction, where the team signed Bangladesh all-rounder Mashrafe Mortaza. Kolkatta spent a massive 600,000 dollars at the auction for this Bangladeshi import and it will be interesting to see if Mortaza can live up to the expectations.
Kolkata will bemoan the loss of it's Pakistani players - Umar Gul and Salman Butt - both of whom performed notably last year. Ricky Ponting joined the list of Australians who pulled out of the IPL due to a hectic international schedule. Mohammad Asif will also be missing from action.
Players to watch out for
Sourav Ganguly: Ganguly might not have the agility demanded of a Twenty20 player but he proved why he is still among the best as he finished on top of the run-scoring charts for his team. He also chipped in with his gentle medium pace and ended up as the most economical bowler for his side. Still a force to reckon with.

Brendon McCullum: Nicknamed 'Baz', McCullum's game is perfectly suited to the Twenty20 format and his brutal innings of 158 not out against Bangalore last season is testimony to that. McCullum is coming of some good batting form in the recently concluded series against India, which will do his confidence a world of good.

Chris Gayle: Gayle exemplifies Caribbean flair and his nonchalant and no-fuss approach to batting is a treat to watch. On his day, Gayle can massacre the best of attacks, putting away even the good balls. Gayle and McCullum are potentially the most lethal opening pair in the tournament and if they can get going the crowd will be in for some real entertainment.

Ishant Sharma: Ishant had a very ordinary tournament last time around but batsmen could find him difficult to hit in conditions where the lanky seamer will be able to extract movement and bounce. He will be keen to prove his detractors wrong this time around.

Trivia
The duo of Vishal and Shekar, of 'Om Shanthi Om' and 'Jhankar Beats' fame composed the anthem song of the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Sourav Ganguly, captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders, was the first player to win back-to-back Man of the Match awards.
Chris Gayle did not play a single game for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2008 as he had a groin injury.
Ishant Sharma, who was snapped up at USD 950,000 by Kolkata Knight Riders was the most expensive bowler at the IPL auction.
Umar Gul of KKR had the highest strike rate amongst the batsmen with 205.26. He scored just 39 runs in the tournament however.
The only match in the IPL which was abandoned without a ball being bowled was the match between Delhi and Kolkata at Delhi.
Kolkata have the record of scoring the least runs in an innings in the IPL doing so when they were dismissed 67 in the match against the Mumbai Indians.
Laxmi Ratan Shukla picked up 3 wickets in the only 5 balls he bowled against the Daredevils making him the bowler with the best strike rate in an innings.
Brendon McCullum scored 158 against the Bangalore Royal Challengers in the opening game of the IPL - the highest individual score in a Twenty20 match.
Brendon McCullum of KKR holds the record for the most number of sixes in an IPL innings with 13 against the Bangalore Royal Challengers
The highest margin of victory by runs is 140 happens achieved by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match of the IPL against Bangalore

Current Squad:
Sourav Ganguly, Ajit Agarkar, Rohan Banerjee, Sanjay Bangar, Mark Cameron (AUS), Aakash Chopra, Gaurav Chabra, Debabrata Das, Ashok Dinda, Shatrunjay Gaekwad, Chris Gayle, Moises Henriques (AUS), Brad Hodge (AUS), David Hussey (AUS), VA Indulkar, Iqbal Abdulla, Murali Karthik, Saurasish Lahiri, Charl Langeveldt (SA), Brendon McCullum (NZ), Mashrafe Mortaza (Bang), Angelo Mathews (SL), Ajantha Mendis (SL), Mohnish Parmar, Cheteshwar Pujara, Wriddhiman Saha, Ishant Sharma, Laxmi Ratan Shukla

Coach - John Buchanan (AUS)
Assistant head coach - Matthew Mott (AUS)