Ajinkya Rahane has been named the new captain of the defending champion Kolkata Knight Riders in advance of the 2025 Indian Premier League. Rahane is the replacement for Shreyas Iyer, who guided KKR to their third IPL championship the previous season before being let loose and later purchased by the Punjab Kings for an unprecedented INR 26.75 crore. Rahane’s deputy is Venkatesh Iyer, who was acquired by KKR for 23.75 crore.
“KKKR has been one of the most successful IPL teams, so being selected to head them is an honor. We have a great, well-rounded team, in my opinion. After the appointment, Rahane stated, “I’m excited to work with everyone and take on the challenge of defending our title.”
After a lackluster season with the Chennai Super Kings (242 runs in 13 innings), the experienced Indian batsman originally had no takers at the auction. This outcome represents a significant reversal for him. However, KKR acquired Rahane for his basic price of INR 1.50 crore in the expedited round.
His form has really improved since then. Rahane, who topped the run charts with 469 runs at an average of 58.62 and an incredible strike rate of 164.56, was instrumental in Mumbai’s recent victory in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament.
“Having someone like Ajinkya Rahane, who contributes his leadership experience and maturity, makes us very happy. Additionally, Venkatesh Iyer has a lot of leadership skills and has played for KKR as a franchise player. As we begin the defense of our title, we are sure they will work well together,” KKR CEO Venky Mysore stated.
KKR had already acquired him before to the 2022 season, therefore this is the second time they have done so. That year, he was only selected for seven games and scored 133 runs. He moved to CSK for the next season, when he helped restore his reputation and form in the competition by scoring 326 runs at a strike-rate of 172.49 as a savvy top-order batsman in a championship campaign.
Having participated in the competition since its inaugural season in 2008, Rahane also has experience serving as captain. He captained the Rajasthan Royals for 24 games the next season after leading the Rising Pune Giants in one game during the 2017 season. He was replaced at the head of the 2019 season halfway through by Steve Smith. In his 25 tournament matches as captain, he has 9 victories and 16 defeats.
His deputy, Venkahtesh, was acquired by KKR for the fourth-highest price in IPL auction history as they battled off RCB to the death. In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Venkatesh was first signed by the team at a basic salary of 20 lakh. With 370 runs in 10 innings, including fifties in the second qualifier and the final, when KKR finished second-best to CSK, Venkatesh proved to be an essential top-order batsman in the second half of the tournament, which was contested in the United Arab Emirates in September of that year. He was then hired for INR 8 crore before to the 2022 mega auction.
With Rahane and Venkatesh leading the team, KKR will play RCB in the season opener on March 22 at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens to start defending their championship.
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