Kolkata Knight Riders player list | Complete list of KKR | List of players in KKR | Squad of KKR

 Kolkata Knight Right player list(KKR)

List of Kolkata Knight Riders cricketers

Sourav Ganguly, the former captain of the Indian cricket team was the icon player and led the franchise in the 2008 and 2010 seasons. Brendon McCullum lead the team in the intervening period. Both captains were released before the 2011 season. The former team included all-rounders Chris Gayle, David Hussey, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Angelo Mathews, batsman Ricky Ponting and wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha. The main bowlers were Umar Gul, Ishant Sharma, Ashok Dinda, Ajit Agarkar and Murali Karthik. Australian batsman Brad Hodge and bowlers Ajantha Mendis and Charl Langeveldt were bought outside the IPL auction in late 2008.

Kolkata Knight Riders in 2008

At the 2009 auction the team bought Bangladeshi all-rounder Mashrafe Mortaza at a whopping price of $600,000 dollars. Due to the unavailability of Pakistani players starting 2009, KKR had to suspend the contract of Umar Gul, who was a key performer from the 2008 season. On 26 April 2009, KKR administration sent back two of its players Akash Chopra and Sanjay Bangar on the premises of poor performance. Shane Bond was acquired after releasing Ricky Ponting, Morne van Wyk and the Pakistani players Umar Gul, Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Akhtar before the third season. Moises Henriques was traded to Delhi in return for Owais Shah and Manoj Tiwary. Thus, their overseas roster for the 2010 season consisted of Shane Bond, Mashrafe Mortaza, Brendon McCullum, Charl Langeveldt, Ajantha Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Owais Shah and Chris Gayle.

2011 heralded the beginning of a new era for KKR. In the 2011 season, KKR drastically revamped their squad. Former captain and icon player Sourav Ganguly was not purchased in the January auction. This led to protest rallies, signature campaigns throughout the country and abroad along with stadium protests by various fan groups, such as 'No Dada No KKR', which received both national and international press attention. The team appointed Gautam Gambhir, who was bought for a record-breaking $2.4 million as skipper. Yusuf Pathan was also picked up for a whopping $2.1 million. Other international names who were added include Shakib Al Hasan, Brad Haddin, Jacques Kallis, Brett Lee, Ryan ten Doeschate, Eoin Morgan and James Pattinson. Haddin was replaced by Mark Boucher mid-season due to injury.

In the 2012 auction, KKR bought back their former captain, Brendon McCullum. They also acquired West Indian spinner Sunil Narine and South African fast bowler Marchant de Lange.

The team later added four domestic players to their squad, including Debabrata Das and Iresh Saxena from Bengal, Saurashtra's Chirag Jani and Sanju Samson from Kerala. However, in November 2012, KKR released the latter three from their team along with Jaydev Unadkat, a key performer from the previous seasons. In the 2013 auction, the team acquired only two overseas players, Sachithra Senanayake and Ryan McLaren.

Before the February 2014 auction, the team had only retained their key performers Gautam Gambhir and Sunil Narine. From the auctions that took place, the team brought back Jacques Kallis and Yusuf Pathan with their right-to-match (RTM) card. Also keeping their place in the squad was Ryan ten Doeschate and Shakib Al Hasan. New international players were Morne Morkel, Patrick Cummins and Chris Lynn. Prominent Indian players bought included Robin Uthappa, Umesh Yadav, Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav and Piyush Chawla.

KKR's impressive additions in the 2015 auction were veteran Australian bowler Brad Hogg and wicket-keeper Sheldon Jackson. Before the auction in February 2016, they released Ryan ten Doeschate who was a part of their team for five consecutive seasons along with pace bowler Pat Cummins. The Knight Riders were particularly noted for their change in approach from the previous auctions where they had concentrated on spinners. For the 2016 edition, however, they acquired as many as six pacers in the form of all-rounders John Hastings, Colin Munro, Jason Holder and Rajagopal Sathish as well as bowlers Ankit Rajpoot and Jaydev Unadkat, with the latter being a former player of the squad. They signed one spinner in Manan Sharma. Before the 2017 auctions, they released Morne Morkel, Brad Hogg, Jason Holder, Colin Munro, John Hastings, Jaydev Unadkat, Rajagopal Sathish, Manan Sharma and replacement signing Shaun Tait. From the 2017 Indian Premier League auction, they signed Trent Boult, English all-rounder Chris Woakes, Australian Nathan Coulter-Nile, West Indian Darren Bravo and Jamaican Rovman Powell. The domestic players signed were Rishi Dhawan, Ishank Jaggi, Sayan Ghosh and R Sanjay Yadav. At the time, Andre Russell was banned for one year for doping; he was replaced by Colin de Grandhomme for the season. In January 2018, they only retained West Indian cricketers Sunil Narine and Andre Russell. Their two-time title winning captain Gautam Gambhir was released. At the auction, they retained Robin Uthappa, Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav using RTM (Right-To-Match) card. KKR also bought back their impressive opener Chris Lynn and uncapped Indian batsman Ishank Jaggi. Other uncapped batsmen bought were Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Cameron Delport, Rinku Singh and Apoorv Wankhade. They also bought West Indian uncapped all-rounder Javon Searles and uncapped Indian all-rounders Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi. Other signings were veteran Indian wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik, Australian pace bowlers Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson and former Knight Riders player Vinay Kumar.

On 4 March 2018, Dinesh Karthik was appointed as the captain of KKR for IPL 2018 and Robin Uthappa was named vice-captain. Mitchell Starc was ruled out before the season due to injury and Tom Curran was announced as his replacement. Ahead of the auction for IPL 2019, eight players were released from the squad including Mitchell Starc and his replacement Tom Curran.

At the auction, their high-profile buys were Carlos Brathwaite for ₹50 million (US$700,000) and New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson for ₹16 million (US$220,000). Other players bought were South African pacer Anrich Nortje, English duo Harry Gurney and Joe Denly as well as uncapped Indian players Nikhil Naik, Prithvi Raj Yarra and Shrikant Mundhe for their base prices of ₹2 million (US$28,000) each. Before IPL 2020, KKR released 11 players from their squad and also traded in Siddhesh Lad from Mumbai Indians.

At the 2020 IPL Auction, KKR bought pace bowler Pat Cummins for 15.5 crores. This was the biggest buy in the auction. KKR also purchased Eoin Morgan, who just came off as captain of the World Cup winning England squad. He was bought for 5.25 crores. On 16 October 2020, Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik handed over Kolkata Knight Riders' captaincy to Eoin Morgan.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Current squad

Players with international caps are listed in bold.

No.	Name		Batting style	Bowling style	Notes
27	Nitish Rana		Left-handed	Right-arm off break
77	Shubman Gill		Right-handed	Right-arm off break
35	Rinku Singh		Left-handed	Right-arm off break
N/A	Siddhesh Lad		Right-handed	Right-arm off-break
16	Eoin Morgan		Left-handed	Right-arm medium	Overseas; Captain
52	Rahul Tripathi		Right-handed	Right-arm fast medium
12	Andre Russell		Right-handed	Right-arm fast-medium	Overseas
74	Sunil Narine		Left-handed	Right-arm off break	Overseas
93	Chris Green		Right-handed	Right-arm off-break	Overseas
19	Dinesh Karthik		Right-handed	Right-arm off break	Ex-Captain
18	Tom Banton		Right-handed	Right-arm off break	Overseas
7	Nikhil Naik		Right-handed	Right-arm off break
23	Kuldeep Yadav		Left-handed	Slow left-arm wrist-spin
29	Varun Chakravarthy		Right-handed	Right-arm leg break
N/A	Manimaran Siddharth		Right-handed	Left-arm orthodox
5	Kamlesh Nagarkoti		Right-handed	Right-arm fast
26	Shivam Mavi		Right-handed	Right-arm fast-medium
24	Prasidh Krishna		Right-handed	Right-arm fast-medium
69	Lockie Ferguson		Right-handed	Right-arm fast	Overseas
11	Harry Gurney		Right-handed	Left-arm fast-medium	Overseas
63	Sandeep Warrier		Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast
30	Pat Cummins		Right-handed	Right-arm fast	Overseas
47	Ali Khan		Right-handed	Right-arm fast-medium	Overseas

All Players list of KKR

General
Name	First	Last	Nationality	Mat
Sourav Ganguly	2008	2010	India	40
Ajit Agarkar	2008	2010	India	27
Aakash Chopra	2008	2009	India	7
Debabrata Das	2008	2013	India	31
Ashoke Dinda	2008	2010	India	29
Chris Gayle	2008	2010	Jamaica	16
Brad Hodge	2008	2010	Australia	19
David Hussey	2008	2010	Australia	23
Iqbal Abdulla	2008	2013	India	33
Murali Karthik	2008	2010	India	26
Brendon McCullum	2008	2013	New Zealand	35
Ajantha Mendis	2008	2009	Sri Lanka	7
Mohammad Hafeez	2008	2008	Pakistan	8
Ricky Ponting	2008	2008	Australia	4
Wriddhiman Saha	2008	2010	India	33
Salman Butt	2008	2008	Pakistan	7
Shoaib Akhtar	2008	2008	Pakistan	3
Laxmi Ratan Shukla	2008	2013	India	42
Tatenda Taibu	2008	2008	Zimbabwe	3
Ishant Sharma	2008	2010	India	31
Umar Gul	2008	2008	Pakistan	6
Ranadeb Bose	2008	2009	India	1
Cheteshwar Pujara	2008	2010	India	10
Yashpal Singh	2008	2009	India	8
Shoaib Shaikh	2009	2009	India	2
Moises Henriques	2009	2009	Australia	4
Arindam Ghosh	2009	2009	India	2
Mashrafe Mortaza	2009	2009	Bangladesh	1
Charl Langeveldt	2009	2010	South Africa	1
Angelo Mathews	2009	2010	Sri Lanka	15
Anureet Singh	2009	2010	India	3
Owais Shah	2010	2010	England	5
Shane Bond	2010	2010	New Zealand	8
Rohan Gavaskar	2010	2010	India	2
Jaydev Unadkat	2010	2016	India	25
Manoj Tiwary	2010	2013	India	54
Gautam Gambhir	2011	2017	India	108
Yusuf Pathan	2011	2017	India	106

Captains

1. Sourav Ganguly (2008,2010)
2. Brendon McCullum (2009)
3. Gautam Gambhir (2011-2017)
4. Dinesh Karthik (2018-2020)
5. Eoin Morgan (2020- Present)

Administration and support staff

Position	Name
Owner	Shah Rukh Khan (Red Chillies Entertainment), Jay Mehta, Juhi Chawla (Mehta Group)
CEO and managing director	Venky Mysore
Team manager	Wayne Bentley
Head coach	Brendon McCullum
Assistant coach	Abhishek Nayar
Mentor	David Hussey
Bowling coach	Kyle Mills
Assistant bowling coach	Omkar Salvi
Spin bowling consultant	Pravin Tambe
Fielding coach	James Foster
Physiotherapist	Kamlesh Jain
Strength and conditioning coach	Chris Donaldson
Data and video analyst	AR Srikkanth

Kolkata Knight Riders | KKR | IPL Team

Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) Logo

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are a franchise cricket team representing the city of Kolkata in the Indian Premier League. The franchise is owned by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, actress Juhi Chawla and her spouse Jay Mehta. The home of the Knight Riders is the iconic Eden Gardens stadium.

The franchise, which has gained immense popularity due to its association with celebrity owners, qualified for the IPL playoffs for the first time in 2011. They became the IPL champions in 2012, by defeating Chennai Super Kings in the final. They repeated the feat in 2014, defeating Kings XI Punjab. The Knight Riders hold the record for the longest winning streak by any Indian team in T20s (14).

The leading run-scorer of the side is Gautam Gambhir, while the leading wicket-taker is Sunil Narine. The official theme of the team is Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo Re (we will perform, fight and win!) and the official colours are purple and gold. The brand value of the Knight Riders was estimated at $104 million in 2018, second highest among IPL franchises. In 2019, their value was estimated at ₹629 crore (US$88 million).

Kolkata Knight Riders
Nickname(s)	KKR
League	Indian Premier League
Personnel
Captain	Dinesh Karthik
Coach	Brendon McCullum
Owner	Red Chillies Entertainment (55%) Mehta Group (45%)
Team information
City	Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Colours	Purple,Gold
Founded	2008
Home ground	Eden Gardens
Capacity	68,000
History
Indian Premier League wins	2 (2012, 2014)
Official website	kkr.in

kolkata Knight Riders

Franchise history

In 2007, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) created the cricket tournament Indian Premier League based on the Twenty20 form of the game. Eight teams participated in the inaugural tournament held in April – June of the same year. The teams representing the eight different cities of India were put up on auction in Mumbai on 20 February. The team representing Kolkata was eventually bought by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's company Red Chillies Entertainment in partnership with actress Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta for a price of $75.09 million, equal to approximately ₹2.98 billion at that time. Sourav Ganguly, former captain of the Indian national team, a native of West Bengal and the current President of BCCI (Board Cricket Control of India) was named the Icon player for the team. The name of the team is a reference to the popular 1980s American television series Knight Rider.

In June 2015, they bought a stake in the Caribbean Premier League cricket team Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel and later in 2016, renamed it Trinbago Knight Riders.

2008 KKR

Home ground

The home venue of the Knight Riders is the iconic Eden Gardens (with the two ends of the crease called the High Court End and the Club House End). Owned by the Cricket Association of Bengal, it was the largest cricket stadium in India and had a seating capacity of over 90,000. In 2011, the stadium was renovated to meet the standards set by the International Cricket Council for the 2011 Cricket World Cup; reducing its capacity to around 68,000. The renovated stadium includes a new clubhouse and players' facilities, upgrading the exterior wall, cladding the existing roof structure with a new metal skin, and general infrastructure improvements. In 2013, two of the team's home matches were hosted by the JSCA International Cricket Stadium in Ranchi.

Eden Garden Kolkata

The highs

KKR’s two titles in three years remain their zenith. The first win, in 2012, was a landmark because of how poorly the team had fared in the first four seasons. The win in 2014, when they chased the highest-ever IPL final total, against Kings XI Punjab, cemented that year’s squad as legends forever.

The lows

The dream of a fairy tale under Ganguly did not bear fruit, and there was conflict between him and coach John Buchanan, whose multiple-captains strategy drew laughs, especially after the team’s fortunes sank further. The omission of Ganguly ahead of 2011 threatened to ruin Kolkata’s love for KKR, and the ruckus over the Fake IPL player (an anonymous blogger who appeared to have inside information) in the early years made them the butt of jokes as well.

Season by season

2008 - sixth

Sourav Ganguly became captain of the Kolkata based franchise.The name of the team is a reference to the popular 1980s American television series Knight Rider.Brendon McCullum’s 158 not out in the tournament opener made it seem like KKR were the team to beat in the new league. But then, four straight losses put that start to waste and, despite two Player-of-the-Match performances from Ganguly and a demolition of the Delhi Daredevils by Akhtar, the team finished with three losses at the end of the season.

Brendon McCullum

2009 - eighth

Sourav Ganguly was removed from captaincy.Brendon McCullum assumed the role of the captain.KKR had another miserable season finishing last this time.A Super-Over loss in their third game began a string of eight defeats in a row that broke KKR’s back. After 12 games, they had won just one solitary match, and if it wasn’t for their two wins in their last two games, they might have had the worst season of any team in the history of franchise cricket.

2010 - sixth

Ganguly was retained as captain despite two poor seasons, and he scored 493 runs, but the rest of the team did not hit a winning rhythm. They lost a heap of games in the first half of the tournament and could not quite recover, and though they finished tied on 14 points with the teams in third, fourth and fifth places, their poor net run rate cost them a playoff spot. Ganguly was dropped ahead of the next auction.

2011 - fourth

Sourav Ganguly was sacked.This decision was highly criticised by fans.Delhi boy, Gautam Gambhir was brought in the major auction and was handed captainship responsibilities.A new-look KKR set out to change the team’s fortunes, and they qualified for the playoffs for the first time. KKR’s faith in the Indian talent they had bought along with new captain Gambhir was rewarded, with spinner Iqbal Abdulla, fast bowler L Balaji, and middle-order batsmen Pathan and Manoj Tiwary producing match-winning performances. They lost to the Mumbai Indians in the eliminator.

2012 - champions

KKR’s first title came under Gambhir and new coach Trevor Bayliss, who replaced Dav Whatmore. Two losses to begin, then two wins, a loss, six straight victories, two losses, and finally two wins, meant they finished the league stage second. In the final, Manvinder Bisla’s 89 helped KKR chase a tricky 191. It was Narine’s breakthrough season; he was No. 2 on the KKR bowling charts, and he would top them for the next two years. He  starred throughout the season picking up 24 wickets as KKR seemed to have found their mojo.

KKR Champions 2012

2013 - seventh

A forgettable season, sandwiched between two superb years. Narine with the ball and Gambhir with the bat were flawless, but they couldn’t extract contributions from the others. Kallis, although good, was not consistent, and KKR lost ten of their 16 league games, finishing seventh out of nine.

2014 - champions

Having lost five of their first seven games, KKR seemed destined for an early exit, but a streak of nine wins in a row handed them a second title. Gambhir and Uthappa’s partnerships set KKR up for breezy finishes, which Pathan usually provided. Kuldeep Yadav and Kallis put in regular contributions too, and in the final, Pandey’s 94 helped KKR chase 200 against Kings XI Punjab for the title.Robin Uthappa and Sunil Narine starred in the league stages with former scoring 660 runs and the latter picking up 21 wickets.KKR defeated KXIP lifting the IPL trophy for the second time.

KKR 2014 Champions

2015 - fifth

Andre Russell struck three fifties but the season belonged to KKR’s bowlers. Morne Morkel handed KKR a rare win over Mumbai, Umesh Yadav played matchwinner twice, and Piyush Chawla’s four-wicket haul dismantled Delhi Daredevils. KKR had to win one of their last two league games to qualify, but they faltered in both matches, losing to Mumbai and the Royals. It was coach Bayliss’ last season.

2016 - fourth

Russell’s domination continued: he earned three Player-of-the-Match awards, and Pathan two as KKR qualified for the playoffs. There, they were knocked out in the eliminator by the Sunrisers. It was also the first season where Jacques Kallis was coach, a relationship that would last three years.

2017 - third

Lynn’s and Narine’s big-hitting at the top, followed by accumulative performances from Gambhir and Uthappa, put KKR on course for a third IPL title when they won seven of their first nine games, but their performances tapered away as the season progressed. They qualified for the playoffs but were knocked out in the qualifier, after being bowled out for 107. (Russell was not available - he was serving a ban.)

2018 - third

Dinesh Karthik was appointed the captain of the team.KKR reached Qualifier 2 and lost the match out of the tournament.KKR finished 3rd.KKR batted aggressively, using the power of Lynn, Narine and Russell to post big totals to overcome the inexperience of their fast bowling. Despite batting low, Karthik was the team’s highest scorer, with 498 runs. KKR beat the Rajasthan Royals in the eliminator, but fell one step short of the final, losing to runners-up the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

2019 - fifth

They won four of their first five games, and then lost six on the trot. When KKR won, it was often thanks to Russell’s heroics with the bat, which earned him four Player-of-the-Match awards. Shubman Gill’s promotion from finisher to opener worked well, and had they won their final game against the Mumbai Indians, they would have qualified for the playoffs.

Key players

Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir

KKR’s all-time highest scorer, with 3345 runs, Gambhir made 30 fifties in 122 matches, all of which he captained. Gambhir’s aggressive leadership drew praise, and he led KKR to two IPL titles. He started out batting as an opener but slipped into the middle order to accommodate hard-hitting batsmen.

Robin Uthappa

Robin Uthappa

For long, Uthappa was the bedrock in the middle order around whom KKR’s big-hitters played. His 17 half-centuries for the side usually led to victories. In his prime, Uthappa’s was the wicket opposition teams looked to get. In KKR’s IPL-winning 2014 season, he scored 40 or more eight matches in a row, a record he still holds.

Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan

Pathan was already an IPL winner at the Rajasthan Royals when he came to KKR, and he brought the winning mentality with him, playing crucial roles in the side’s two title wins. His cameos as a finisher helped KKR cross the line on many occasions, and his 30 wickets in 56 innings were often important partnership breakers.

Andre Russell

Andre Russell

The IPL’s biggest overseas superstar, Russell is the Knight Riders’ third-highest wicket-taker, with a strike rate of under 18, but it is his performances with the bat that are truly stunning. His 1400 runs and counting have come at a strike rate of 188.35, and he is the only KKR batsman to have struck 100 sixes.

Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine

KKR’s most successful bowler by far, mystery spinner Narine has bowled in the powerplay, middle overs, and at the death. Though he has conceded a few more runs than before in the last three years after he remodelled his action, his economy for KKR is under 7. As opener, he has scored at a strike rate of over 180.

Kolkata 

Kolkata                                                                                             

Kolkata,formerly Calcutta city is capital of West Bengal state, and former capital (1772–1911) of British India. It is one of India’s largest cities and one of its major ports. The city is centred on the east bank of the Hugli (Hooghly) River, once the main channel of the Ganges (Ganga) River, about 96 miles (154 km) upstream from the head of the Bay of Bengal; there the port city developed as a point of transshipment from water to land and from river to sea. A city of commerce, transport, and manufacture, Kolkata is the dominant urban centre of eastern India.Kolkata is the seventh-most populous city in India, with a population of 4.5 million residents within the city limits, and a population of over 14.1 million residents in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area, making it the third-most populous metropolitan area in India.

The city’s former name, Calcutta, is an Anglicized version of the Bengali name Kalikata. According to some, Kalikata is derived from the Bengali word Kalikshetra, meaning “Ground of (the goddess) Kali.” Some say the city’s name derives from the location of its original settlement on the bank of a canal (khal). A third opinion traces it to the Bengali words for lime (calcium oxide; kali) and burnt shell (kata), since the area was noted for the manufacture of shell lime. In 2001 the government of West Bengal officially changed the name of the city to Kolkata. Area city, 40 square miles (104 square km); urban agglom., 533 square miles (1,380 square km). Pop. (2011) 4,486,679; urban agglom., 14,112,536.

Etymology

The word Kolkata (Bengali: কলকাতা) derives from Kôlikata (Bengali: কলিকাতা), the Bengali name of one of three villages that predated the arrival of the British, in the area where the city was eventually established; the other two villages were Sutanuti and Govindapur.

There are several explanations for the etymology of this name:

• Kolikata is thought to be a variation of Kalikkhetrô (Bengali: কালীক্ষেত্র ), meaning "Field of [the goddess] Kali". Similarly, it can be a variation of 'Kalikshetra' (Sanskrit: कालीक्षेत्र, lit. "area of Goddess Kali").

• Another theory is that the name derives from Kalighat.

• Alternatively, the name may have been derived from the Bengali term kilkila (Bengali: কিলকিলা), or "flat area".

• The name may have its origin in the words khal (Bengali: খাল [ˈkʰal]) meaning "canal", followed by kaṭa (Bengali: কাটা [ˈkaʈa]), which may mean "dug".

• According to another theory, the area specialised in the production of quicklime or koli chun (Bengali: কলি চুন [ˈkɔliˌtʃun]) and coir or kata (Bengali: কাতা [ˈkata]); hence, it was called Kolikata).

Although the city's name has always been pronounced Kolkata or Kôlikata in Bengali, the anglicised form Calcutta was the official name until 2001, when it was changed to Kolkata in order to match Bengali pronunciation.

History

British colonial rule

The discovery and archaeological study of Chandraketugarh, 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Kolkata, provide evidence that the region in which the city stands has been inhabited for over two millennia.Kolkata's recorded history began in 1690 with the arrival of the English East India Company, which was consolidating its trade business in Bengal. Job Charnock, an administrator who worked for the company, was formerly credited as the founder of the city; In response to a public petition, the Calcutta High Court ruled in 2003 that the city does not have a founder. The area occupied by the present-day city encompassed three villages: Kalikata, Gobindapur and Sutanuti. Kalikata was a fishing village; Sutanuti was a riverside weavers' village. They were part of an estate belonging to the Mughal emperor; the jagirdari (a land grant bestowed by a king on his noblemen) taxation rights to the villages were held by the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family of landowners, or zamindars. These rights were transferred to the East India Company in 1698.

chandraketugarh

In 1712, the British completed the construction of Fort William, located on the east bank of the Hooghly River to protect their trading factory. Facing frequent skirmishes with French forces, the British began to upgrade their fortifications in 1756. The Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, condemned the militarisation and tax evasion by the company. His warning went unheeded, and the Nawab attacked; he captured Fort William which led to the killings of several East India company officials in the Black Hole of Calcutta. A force of Company soldiers (sepoys) and British troops led by Robert Clive recaptured the city the following year. Per the 1765 Treaty of Allahabad following the battle of Buxar, East India company was appointed imperial tax collector of the Mughal emperor in the province of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, while Mughal-appointed Nawabs continued to rule the province. Declared a presidency city, Calcutta became the headquarters of the East India Company by 1773.

In 1793, ruling power of the Nawabs were abolished and East India company took complete control of the city and the province. In the early 19th century, the marshes surrounding the city were drained; the government area was laid out along the banks of the Hooghly River. Richard Wellesley, Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William between 1797 and 1805, was largely responsible for the development of the city and its public architecture. Throughout the late 18th and 19th century, the city was a centre of the East India Company's opium trade. A census in 1837 records the population of the city proper as 229,700, of which the British residents made up only 3,138. The same source says another 177,000 resided in the suburbs and neighbouring villages, making the entire population of greater Calcutta 406,700.

In 1864, a typhoon struck the city and killed about 60,000 in Kolkata.

fort william,kolkata

By the 1850s, Calcutta had two areas: White Town, which was primarily British and centred on Chowringhee and Dalhousie Square; and Black Town, mainly Indian and centred on North Calcutta. The city underwent rapid industrial growth starting in the early 1850s, especially in the textile and jute industries; this encouraged British companies to massively invest in infrastructure projects, which included telegraph connections and Howrah railway station. The coalescence of British and Indian culture resulted in the emergence of a new babu class of urbane Indians, whose members were often bureaucrats, professionals, newspaper readers, and Anglophiles; they usually belonged to upper-caste Hindu communities. In the 19th century, the Bengal Renaissance brought about an increased sociocultural sophistication among city denizens. In 1883, Calcutta was host to the first national conference of the Indian National Association, the first avowed nationalist organisation in India.

Muslim state led in 1946 to an episode of communal violence that killed over 4,000. The partition of India led to further clashes and a demographic shift—many Muslims left for East Pakistan (present day Bangladesh), while hundreds of thousands of Hindus fled into the city.

Geography

Spread roughly north–south along the east bank of the Hooghly River, Kolkata sits within the lower Ganges Delta of eastern India approximately 75 km (47 mi) west of the international border with Bangladesh; the city's elevation is 1.5–9 m (5–30 ft). Much of the city was originally a wetland that was reclaimed over the decades to accommodate a burgeoning population. The remaining undeveloped areas, known as the East Kolkata Wetlands, were designated a "wetland of international importance" by the Ramsar Convention (1975). As with most of the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the soil and water are predominantly alluvial in origin. Kolkata is located over the "Bengal basin", a pericratonic tertiary basin. Bengal basin comprises three structural units: shelf or platform in the west; central hinge or shelf/slope break; and deep basinal part in the east and southeast. Kolkata is located atop the western part of the hinge zone which is about 25 km (16 mi) wide at a depth of about 45,000 m (148,000 ft) below the surface.[60] The shelf and hinge zones have many faults, among them some are active. Total thickness of sediment below Kolkata is nearly 7,500 m (24,600 ft) above the crystalline basement; of these the top 350–450 m (1,150–1,480 ft) is Quaternary, followed by 4,500–5,500 m (14,760–18,040 ft) of Tertiary sediments, 500–700 m (1,640–2,300 ft) trap wash of Cretaceous trap and 600–800 m (1,970–2,620 ft) Permian-Carboniferous Gondwana rocks.[60] The quaternary sediments consist of clay, silt and several grades of sand and gravel. These sediments are sandwiched between two clay beds: the lower one at a depth of 250–650 m (820–2,130 ft); the upper one 10–40 m (30–130 ft) in thickness.[61] According to the Bureau of Indian Standards, on a scale ranging from I to V in order of increasing susceptibility to earthquakes, the city lies inside seismic zone III.

Victoria Memorial,Kolkata

Landscape

City site

The location of the city appears to have been originally selected partly because of its easily defensible position and partly because of its favourable trading location. The low, swampy, hot, and humid riverbank otherwise has little to recommend it. Its maximum elevation is about 30 feet (9 metres) above sea level. Eastward from the river the land slopes away to marshes and swamplands. Similar topography on the west bank of the river has confined the metropolitan area largely to a strip 3 to 5 miles (5 to 8 km) wide on either bank of the river. Reclamation of the Salt Lake area on the northeastern fringe of the city, however, demonstrated that the spatial expansion of the city is feasible, and further reclamation projects have been undertaken to the east, south, and west of the central area.

Suburbs of Kolkata include Haora (Howrah) on the west bank, Baranagar to the north, South Dum Dum to the northeast, Behala to the south, and Garden Reach in the southwest. The whole urban complex is held together by close socioeconomic ties.

Climate

Kolkata has a subtropical climate with a seasonal regime of monsoons (rain-bearing winds). It is warm year-round, with average high temperatures ranging from about 80 °F (27 °C) in December and January to nearly 100 °F (38 °C) in April and May. The average annual rainfall is about 64 inches (1,625 mm). Most of this falls from June to September, the period of the monsoon. These months are very humid and sometimes sultry. During October and November the rainfall dwindles. The winter months, from about the end of November to the end of February, are pleasant and rainless; fogs and mists occasionally reduce visibility in the early morning hours at this season, as also do thick blankets of smog in the evenings. The atmospheric pollution has greatly increased since the early 1950s. Factories, motor vehicles, and thermal-generating stations, which burn coal, are primary causes of this pollution, but monsoon winds act as cleansing agents by bringing in fresh air masses and also hastening the removal of water pollution.

Economy

Kolkata is the commercial and financial hub of East and North-East India and home to the Calcutta Stock Exchange. It is a major commercial and military port, and is the only city in eastern India, apart from Bhubaneswar to have an international airport. Once India's leading city, Kolkata experienced a steady economic decline in the decades following India's independence due to steep population increases and a rise in militant trade-unionism, which included frequent strikes that were backed by left-wing parties. From the 1960s to the late 1990s, several factories were closed and businesses relocated. The lack of capital and resources added to the depressed state of the city's economy and gave rise to an unwelcome sobriquet: the "dying city". The city's fortunes improved after the Indian economy was liberalised in the 1990s and changes in economic policy were enacted by the West Bengal state government. Recent estimates of the economy of Kolkata's metropolitan area have ranged from $60 to $150 billion (PPP GDP), and have ranked it third-most productive metro area of India.

Flexible production has been the norm in Kolkata, which has an informal sector that employs more than 40% of the labour force. One unorganised group, roadside hawkers, generated business worth ₹ 87.72 billion (US$ 2 billion) in 2005. As of 2001, around 0.81% of the city's workforce was employed in the primary sector (agriculture, forestry, mining, etc.); 15.49% worked in the secondary sector (industrial and manufacturing); and 83.69% worked in the tertiary sector (service industries). As of 2003, the majority of households in slums were engaged in occupations belonging to the informal sector; 36.5% were involved in servicing the urban middle class (as maids, drivers, etc.) and 22.2% were casual labourers. About 34% of the available labour force in Kolkata slums were unemployed. According to one estimate, almost a quarter of the population live on less than 27 rupees (equivalent to 45 US cents) per day.

As in many other Indian cities, information technology became a high-growth sector in Kolkata starting in the late 1990s; the city's IT sector grew at 70% per annum—a rate that was twice the national average. The 2000s saw a surge of investments in the real estate, infrastructure, retail, and hospitality sectors; several large shopping malls and hotels were launched. Companies such as ITC Limited, CESC Limited, Exide Industries, Emami, Eveready Industries India, Lux Industries, Rupa Company, Berger Paints, Birla Corporation and Britannia Industries are headquartered in the city. Philips India, PricewaterhouseCoopers India, Tata Global Beverages, Tata Steel have their registered office and zonal headquarters in Kolkata. Kolkata hosts the headquarters of three major public-sector banks: Allahabad Bank, UCO Bank, and the United Bank of India; and a private bank Bandhan Bank. Reserve Bank of India has its eastern zonal office in Kolkata, and India Government Mint, Kolkata is one of the four mints in India. Some of the oldest public sector companies are headquartered in the city such as the Coal India Limited, National Insurance Company, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, Tea Board of India, Geological Survey of India, Zoological Survey of India, Botanical Survey of India, Jute Corporation of India, National Test House, Hindustan Copper and the Ordnance Factories Board of the Indian Ministry of Defence.

Transport

Public transport is provided by the Kolkata Suburban Railway, the Kolkata Metro, trams, rickshaws, taxis and buses. The suburban rail network connects the city's distant suburbs.

Metro train,kolkata

The Kolkata Metro, in operation since 1984, is the oldest underground mass transit system in India.It spans the north–south length of the city. In 2020, part of the Second line was inaugurated to cover part of Salt Lake. This east–west line will connect Salt Lake with Howrah The 2 lines cover a distance of 33.02 km (21 mi). As of 2020, four Metro rail lines were under construction. Kolkata has five long-distance railway stations, located at Howrah (the largest railway complex in India), Sealdah, Chitpur, Shalimar and Santragachi, which connect Kolkata by rail to most cities in West Bengal and to other major cities in India. The city serves as the headquarters of three railway Zone out of Eighteen of the Indian Railways regional divisions—the Kolkata Metro Railways, Eastern Railway and the South-Eastern Railway. Kolkata has rail and road connectivity with Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

Howrah station

kolkata station(chitpur)

Sealdah Station

 

The yellow taxi remains a favourite despite the foray of rideshare companies in the transport market

Buses, which are the most commonly used mode of transport, are run by government agencies and private operators.Kolkata is the only Indian city with a tram network, which is operated by the Calcutta Tramways Company. The slow-moving tram services are restricted to certain areas of the city. Water-logging, caused by heavy rains during the summer monsoon, sometimes interrupt transportation networks. Hired public conveyances include auto rickshaws, which often ply specific routes, and yellow metered taxis. Almost all of Kolkata's taxis are antiquated Hindustan Ambassadors by make; newer air-conditioned radio taxis are in service as well. In parts of the city, cycle rickshaws and hand-pulled rickshaws are patronised by the public for short trips.

Due to its diverse and abundant public transportation, privately owned vehicles are not as common in Kolkata as in other major Indian cities. The city has witnessed a steady increase in the number of registered vehicles; 2002 data showed an increase of 44% over a period of seven years. As of 2004, after adjusting for population density, the city's "road space" was only 6% compared to 23% in Delhi and 17% in Mumbai. The Kolkata Metro has somewhat eased traffic congestion, as has the addition of new roads and flyovers. Agencies operating long-distance bus services include the Calcutta State Transport Corporation, the South Bengal State Transport Corporation, the North Bengal State Transport Corporation and various private operators. The city's main bus terminals are located at Esplanade and Babughat. The Kolkata–Delhi and Kolkata–Chennai prongs of the Golden Quadrilateral, and National Highway 12 start from the city.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport,kolkata

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, located in Dum Dum, about 16 km (9.9 mi) north-east of the city centre, operates domestic and international flights. In 2013, the airport was upgraded to handle increased air traffic.

The Port of Kolkata, established in 1870, is India's oldest and the only major river port. The Kolkata Port Trust manages docks in Kolkata and Haldia. The port hosts passenger services to Port Blair, capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands; freighter service to ports throughout India and around the world is operated by the Shipping Corporation of India. Ferry services connect Kolkata with its twin city of Howrah, located across the Hooghly River.

howrah bridge

Vidyasagar setu, Kolkata 2nd hoogly bridge

See also

• West Bengal

• Midnapore

• Kharagpur