New Delhi: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are reportedly set to snub star all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer and name veteran Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane as their captain ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The move comes as a big surprise to many as Iyer was expected to lead the team from next season after being bought by KKR for a whopping Rs 23.75 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction last month.
KKR went all out to resign the all-rounder as they beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a bidding war to make Iyer the 3rd most expensive signing at the IPL 2025 mega auction. Iyer too had thrown his hat into the ring to become the next KKR captain after rejoining the franchise and said he was open to taking up a leadership role.
However, in a surprising turn of events, the KKR team management seems to have decided to make Rahane the captain of the franchise ahead of the new season. Rahane was picked up by KKR at his base price of Rs 1.50 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction in a last-minute move. As per a report in the Times of India, Rahane is set to take over as KKR captain.
“Yes, at the moment it’s 90% confirmed that Ajinkya will be the new KKR captain. He was bought by KKR specifically for the purpose of being a viable captaincy option,” a source was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
Rahane has significant experience behind his back as captain. He is currently leading Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 and has also captained Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. Rahane has also led India in Tests and inspired the Indian team to their second successive Test series victory in Australia as captain in the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21.
What did Venkatesh Iyer say about KKR captaincy?
Minutes after being bought at the IPL 2025 mega auction for Rs 23.75 crore, Iyer was asked about his chances of potentially captaining Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2025. The star all-rounder has thrown his hat in the ring by stating that he would be more than happy to lead the side if offered a chance.
“I have 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 do it,” Iyer said on Jio Cinema.
Iyer has been with KKR since IPL 2021 and has already spent four seasons at the franchise. He knows the KKR setup inside out and was thus considered the favourite to take over the baton from Shreyas Iyer. However, it seems Rahane as pipped him the race for captaincy and will lead the three-time champions next season.
Rahane was part of the Chennai Super Kings squad last season and scored 242 runs for them in 23 matches. He has played 185 matches in his IPL career and has 4642 runs to his name at a strike rate of 123.42, including 30 fifties and two centuries.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have reportedly decided to snub their record buy Venkatesh Iyer and make a veteran Indian batter their captain for IPL 2025. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
