The Indian Premier League (IPL) defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will have a new captain leading the side in IPL 2025 which gets underway on March 22. With Shreyas Iyer departing from KKR, the position was left vacant and on Monday the team management announced Ajinkya Rahane as the new captain of the side.
Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan-owned side have also appointed all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer as Rahane’s deputy. KKR had bought Rahane at a bargain for Rs 1.5 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction last year.
On the other hand, KKR shelled out Rs 23.75 crore for Venkatesh Iyer after deciding not to retain the all-rounder ahead of the mega auction. Making the announcement, Venky Mysore, CEO of KKR said, “We are delighted to have someone like Ajinkya Rahane, who brings his experience and maturity as a leader. Also, Venkatesh Iyer has been a franchise player for KKR and brings a lot of leadership qualities. We are confident that they will combine well as we start the defense of our title.”
– Ajinkya Rahane named captain of KKR. Venkatesh Iyer named Vice-Captain of KKR for TATA IPL 2025. pic.twitter.com/F6RAccqkmW
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 3, 2025
Rahane has notched up 4642 runs in 185 IPL matches till date with 2 hundreds and 30 fifties. The IPL 2023 was a breakthrough season for the seasoned campaigner from Mumbai, as he scored 326 runs in 14 matches for MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at a strike-rate of over 172 to power them to their 5th IPL title.
“It’s an honour to be asked to lead KKR, which has been one of the most successful franchises in the IPL. I think we have an excellent and balanced squad. I look forward to working with everyone and taking up the challenge of defending our title,” Rahane said about accepting the captaincy role.
The 36-year-old has previously led Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2018 and 2019 season. Under his captaincy, the Royals won only 9 out of their 24 matches and failed to reach the Playoffs stage. Rahane has also led India in six Tests, three ODIs and two T20s.
KKR will begin their IPL 2025 campaign with the season opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Eden Gardens on March 22.
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