FC Kairat were the defending champions after winning their third title the previous season.
FC Okzhetpes (relegated after two years in the top flight) was relegated at the end of the 2020 season, whilst FC Irtysh Pavlodar withdrew from the league in May 2020, and as a result also dropped down into the Kazakhstan First Division.
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules.
The number of foreign players is restricted to eight per KPL team.
For the 2020 season, the KFF announced that players from countries of the Eurasian Economic Union would not be counted towards a club's foreign player limit.