# 2008 Kolkata Knight Riders season

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is a franchise cricket team based in Kolkata, India, which plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). They were one of the eight teams that competed in the 2008 IPL edition. They were captained by Sourav Ganguly. Kolkata Knight Riders finished sixth in the IPL and did not qualify for the Champions League T20.

## Background

The team made a good start to the season by winning their first two matches against Royal Challengers Bangalore and Deccan Chargers. Opening batsman Brendon McCullum scored 158 runs in the first match. However, the team began to experience failures and lost the next four matches. The team managed to stage a comeback of sorts by winning the next three matches, helped by strong performances by Sourav Ganguly and Shoaib Akhtar. But their performance dipped again and they lost the next three matches. These included their match against Mumbai Indians, in which they were bowled out for 67 runs, the lowest score by a team in the IPL 2008 season. When their match against Delhi Daredevils was washed out due to rain, they lost any chance of making it to the semifinals. The Knight Riders ended their season on a winning note by defeating Kings XI Punjab on their home ground.
Financially, the Kolkata Knight Riders were easily the most successful franchise in the IPL, achieving a profit of ₹130 million (US$1.6 million) in the opening season itself.

## Indian Premier League
### Season standings

Kolkata Knight Riders finished sixth in the league stage of IPL 2008.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
| 1 | Rajasthan Royals (C) | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 0.632 |
| 2 | Kings XI Punjab | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 0.509 |
| 3 | Chennai Super Kings (R) | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 16 | −0.192 |
| 4 | Delhi Daredevils | 14 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 0.342 |
| 5 | Mumbai Indians | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0.570 |
| 6 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 13 | −0.147 |
| 7 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 14 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 8 | −1.160 |
| 8 | Deccan Chargers | 14 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 4 | −0.467 |
    (C) = Eventual champion; (R) = Runner-up.

### Match log

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorecard |
| 1 | 18 April | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Bangalore | Won by 140 runs, MoM- Brendon McCullum 158* (73) | Scorecard |
| 2 | 20 April | Deccan Chargers | Kolkata | Won by 5 wickets, MoM- David Hussey 38* (43) | Scorecard |
| 3 | 26 April | Chennai Super Kings | Chennai | Lost by 9 wickets | Scorecard |
| 4 | 29 April | Mumbai Indians | Kolkata | Lost by 7 wickets | Scorecard |
| 5 | 1 May | Rajasthan Royals | Jaipur | Lost by 45 runs | Scorecard |
| 6 | 3 May | Kings XI Punjab | Mohali | Lost by 9 runs | Scorecard |
| 7 | 8 May | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Kolkata | Won by 5 runs, MoM- Sourav Ganguly 20 (22) and 1/7 (3 overs) | Scorecard |
| 8 | 11 May | Deccan Chargers | Hyderabad | Won by 23 runs, MoM- Sourav Ganguly 91 (57), 2/25 (4 overs) and 2 catches | Scorecard |
| 9 | 13 May | Delhi Daredevils | Kolkata | Won by 23 runs, MoM- Shoaib Akhtar 4/11 (3 overs) | Scorecard |
| 10 | 16 May | Mumbai Indians | Mumbai | Lost by 8 wickets | Scorecard |
| 11 | 18 May | Chennai Super Kings | Kolkata | Lost by 3 runs (D/L) | Scorecard |
| 12 | 20 May | Rajasthan Royals | Kolkata | Lost by 6 wickets | Scorecard |
| 13 | 22 May | Delhi Daredevils | Delhi | Match abandoned due to rain | Scorecard |
| 14 | 25 May | Kings XI Punjab | Kolkata | Won by 3 wickets, MoM - Umar Gul 24 (11) and 4/23 (4 overs) | Scorecard |
| Overall record: 6–7. Failed to advance. ||||||