According to Venky Mysore, CEO of the Kolkata Knight Riders, being a captain is difficult for a young player. The team chose to give captaincy to Ajinkya Rahane rather than Venkatesh Iyer since a leadership role demands a lot more maturity.
Alongside India and Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, Rahane was a candidate for the position of captain.
After IPL 2024, Iyer was released, but Kolkata bought him back in the IPL 2025 mega-auction for an incredible Rs 23.75 crore.
“The IPL is a very competitive competition. Although we have a lot of respect for Venkatesh Iyer, being a captain may be demanding for a young player. As they move forward, we have witnessed many individuals struggle with it [managing captaincy],” Mysore said in an interview with ESPNCricinfo.
Mysore went on to say, “We felt that Ajinkya brings a lot of maturity and experience, as well as a very steady hand.”
Shreyas Iyer helped Kolkata win the IPL 2024 championship, but they were unable to hold onto him since he decided to return to the IPL 2025 mega auction, when the Punjab Kings bought him.
On the first call, Rahane, the first player to appear on the second day of the IPL 2025 super auction in November, had not been sold.
After clubs had the opportunity to call back certain unsold cricket players during the IPL 2025 mega-auction, Kolkata was able to get Rahane for his base price of Rs 1.5 crore.
Rahane has played seven games for Kolkata during their seventh-place IPL 2022 campaign, making this his second tenure with the team.
Ajinkya is one of the few cricket players who have played for six different IPL clubs since the league’s founding seventeen years ago.
Ajinkya, one of the most successful captains in domestic cricket, has led India in 25 games for two IPL teams—once with the Rising Pune Supergiants and again with the Rajasthan Royals.
Rahane just finished in the semifinals of the Ranji Trophy with Mumbai, where he amassed 467 runs in nine games and recorded a century.
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