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ToggleVenky Mysore, CEO of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) revealed who will captain the team, Ajinkya Rahane or Venkatesh Iyer in the upcoming IPL 2025. This is after KKR parted ways with Shreyas Iyer, who won them the IPL 2024 title.
The Punjab Kings (PBKS) paid a whopping 26.75 crore for Shreyas Iyer at the IPL 2025 mega auction. As a result, there is widespread conjecture that Ajinkya Rahane will take up the leadership role.
At the auction, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) paid the base price of INR 1.5 crore for Ajinkya Rahane. Ajinkya Rahane previously played for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2022, scoring 133 runs over seven matches with an average of 19 and a strike rate of 103.90.
Ajinkya Rahane has reportedly emerged as the front-runner to captain KKR in the IPL 2025. According to reports, Ajinkya Rahane’s tremendous expertise and calm attitude make him a strong candidate to manage the reigning champions next season.
Venkatesh Iyer stakes claim for KKR captaincy
Venkatesh Iyer, who was acquired by KKR for a record INR 23.75 crore following a heated bidding war with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, has declared that he would be “more than happy” to take on the captaincy assignment.
“I had the opportunity to captain the side in Nitish Rana’s absence when he was unfortunately injured, and I was the vice-captain as well. I’ve always believed that captaincy is just a tag, but leadership is about creating an environment where everyone feels they can play for this team and contribute.
If given the responsibility, I would be more than happy to take it on. Absolutely (I’m ready for it). Together, we will aim to defend the championship and continue our winning campaign. Thank you very much for picking me in your squad,” said Venkatesh after he was bought by KKR.
Notably, Venkatesh Iyer is only the second batter from KKR to score a century in IPL.
‘To be honest, we have to…’- Venky Mysore on who will be the new KKR captain
Before making a final choice on the captaincy, KKR’s management is proceeding cautiously. Venky Mysore, the CEO of the Kolkata Knight Riders, explored the idea of Ajinkya Rahane becoming the team’s next captain.
Venky Mysore stated that the franchise’s leadership group will carefully consider all elements before reaching a final decision. Mysore was convinced that team management and stakeholders would make the correct decision regarding captaincy.
“Well, you know that. To be honest, we have to sit down and take stock. Sometimes what happens is, after you’ve done all of these things, you just have to sit down, reflect, and look at the whole thing. There are stakeholders, and parts of the think tank won’t be here. So, we’ll all sit down and have a proper chat about that, and I’m sure a proper decision will be made,” Mysore told Star Sports.
KKR Full Squad: Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Anrich Nortje, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markande, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Spencer Johnson, Ajinkya Rahane, Luvnith Sisodia, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, Umran Malik