5 overseas players without whom KKR wouldn't have been the same side

The Kolkata Knight Riders had a devastating start in the Indian Premier League and were mostly found languishing at the bottom of the table in the first three seasons of the tournament.

They were barely competitive and only did well in patches failing to make a substantial impact in any of the three seasons. KKR never made it to the qualifiers in the first three seasons, and their success mostly came as party spoilers.

Things took a U-turn when the KKR management opted to alter the entire unit in the IPL auctions, 2011, including the support staffs, and quite a few new faces evolved under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir.

Since 2011, KKR seemed a different team, and from nowhere the Knights went on to win two IPL titles, and made it to the play off's in most of the seasons.

Capped Indian players like Gambhir, Manish Pandey, Robin Uthappa, Umesh Yadav and Piyush Chawla played a pivotal role in KKR's success so far, but their main strength has been the foreign players.

The franchise relies a great deal on their overseas players as compared to their Indian strength, and their overseas players didn't disappoint.

Five Overseas players of KKR who made a major impact in the IPL are:

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#5 Shakib Al Hasan

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The much-publicised all-rounder from Bangladesh was a crucial part of the KKR squad and contributed with both bat and ball for his side. His unorthodox sweeps and his capability to go big towards the end of the innings used to give his team some cushion of runs.

Al Hasan is a terrific player of spin bowling and is capable of hitting the spinners quite a distance, especially the left-arm spinners and leg-spinners as he fancies hitting the ball with the turn towards the mid-wicket boundary.

The conditions in Kolkata were in line with his wishes as Bangladesh is just on the other side of West Bengal, and the tracks and conditions are not too different.

The track at the Eden Gardens is conducive to spin bowling and suited his style of bowling to a great extent.

His left-arm spin turned out to be very effective as he didn't give much room and bowled an immaculate line keeping the batsmen quiet.

He had the ability to bowl at any stage of the game for his franchise and bowled some fruitful overs during the field restrictions as well.

He conceded runs at an economy rate of just 7.17 which is quite remarkable in T20 terms.

This season we won't see him in purple anymore as he'll be playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2018.

#4 Morne Morkel

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The lanky right-arm fast bowler from the rainbow nation had a marvelous time in the IPL playing for the KKR.

Morkel bowled some breathtaking spells upfront with the new ball and delivered some crucial breakthroughs in the middle overs.

He was not renowned for pitching the ball up but got some steep bounce from the good length area taking full benefit of his tall stature.

Morkel's back of a length delivery was not the easiest to get hold of, and he got some valuable wickets for his side.

He opened the door for the Knights even in the flattest of Indian decks, and his impeccable fourth stump line was his strongest suit.

He has got 77 IPL scalps beside his name in conditions which are not ideal for fast bowling.

Morkel decided to retire from International cricket after the home series against Australia, and this year he went unsold in the IPL auction.

Taking the present circumstances into count his IPL future looks blur.

#3 Jacques Kallis

Kallis is now part of the backroom staff in KKR

The South African was most likely the best all-rounder that world cricket has ever seen. He commenced his IPL career representing the Royal Challengers Bangalore and was later snapped up by KKR in the year 2011.

Kallis had a great time playing for the men in purple and played quite a few decisive knocks at the top of the order for his side.

He was more of a sheet anchor and enabled belligerent batsmen like Gambhir, Uthappa, Morgan and Manoj Tiwary to play their natural game from the other end.

With his experience, he ended up playing some sizeable knocks for his side, and once he got his eye in, he could hit some balls into the stands as well.

Kallis fancied striking the ball straight down the ground and had a nod over the finest of spinners. He ended up getting 17 fifties in the IPL at an average of 28.55 which shows how consistent he was.

He was handy with the ball too, bowling some useful overs in the middle of an innings. He had the extra pace to hurry the batsmen onto the back foot and bowled some economical overs.

He was an underrated bowler who had a golden arm and could break partnerships when needed.

Kallis played a significant role in IPL 2012, the year in which KKR won their first IPL title.

#2 Andre Russell

Russell has been a game changer for KKR

The big Jamaican has been a game changer for the Kolkata Knight Riders with both bat and ball and won quite a few games for his side which they had no hope of winning.

He is a muscular bloke and can strike the ball quite a distance.

Russell is known for his colossal hitting and can demolish any bowling attack in his day. He scores at a stunning strike rate of 173.41 and can turn the tide within a couple of overs.

Not only with the bat, he is matchless with the ball as well getting some key wickets for his side up front with the new ball.

Besides the new ball, he is quite potent towards the death as well, delivering some brilliant yorkers and slower deliveries.

He is a genuine all-rounder and not a bits and pieces player, and can fit in both as a pure batsman and a front-line bowler.

He has been in and out of the side due to injuries, and the Knights missed his services in IPL 2017 as he was suspended.

They also missed him towards the latter part of IPL 2016 due to an ankle injury which he sustained in a game against the RCB, and that was a body blow for the Knights.

The Knights were looking good to make it to the finals that year, but they faltered in their last few games due to's Russell's absence.

This year, he has been retained by his old franchise and we'll see him in purple again.

#1 Sunil Narine

Narine has troubled the likes of Tendulkar and Kohli with his bowling

The champion spinner from Trinidad has been a vital weapon for the Knights. The mystery spinner has been dominating the IPL since 2012 and won innumerable games for his side with the ball.

He was unplayable at times, and his four overs turned out to be a menace for the opposition. Even though he is a spinner he used to bowl at the death on a consistent basis and picked wickets in clusters. Till now he took 95 wickets for his side at a fabulous economy rate of 6.33.

World class players like Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar looked vulnerable against Sunil Narine, and he rattled their stumps quite a few times during the IPL.

He has been the main man behind KKR's success in the IPL so far and played a pivotal role in their triumph in 2012 and 2014 IPL.

Things were going in his favor until he had issues with his bowling action in CLT20, 2014 and had to remodel his action.

Since then, Narine has not been the same bowler and now he bowls mostly in the middle overs and not at the death.

In IPL 2017 he opened the innings for his side and got them off to a flying start more often than not. This year, he has been retained by his old franchise and we'll see him in purple again.