Ajinkya Rahane Named As The Captain Of KKR
In an announcement that has sent the cricketing world aflutter, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the defending IPL champions, appointed Ajinkya Rahane to captain the franchise ahead of the IPL 2025, effective March 3, 2025. The announcement was made public at 3:33 PM IST, and Rahane’s veteran leadership will now be supported by Venkatesh Iyer as vice-captain, the all-rounder who commanded an IPL 2025 mega auction price of INR 23.75 crore-a number that speaks for itself in terms of value for the franchise. Together, they form a combination of experience and aggression with which KKR enters the 2025 IPL for the defense of the title that they won in 2024 under Shreyas Iyer, who has since moved to Punjab Kings.
Rahane’s elevation to captaincy comes after weeks of speculation following the mega auction at the end of 2024 when KKR did a complete overhaul of their squad, keeping core players Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and Rinku Singh. It was now up to the franchise to figure out how to find a capable leader to keep the momentum from their championship season going forward.
After buying Rahane at his base price of INR 1.5 crore, it is his history of having led India to a historic Test series win in Australia in 2020-21 that gave him preference. That win, under dire conditions, exhibited his ability to motivate and devise strategies under pressure-qualities that will surely come in handy in the high-stakes drama of the IPL, which KKR will hope to continue carrying them through.
The batsman is a 36-year-old. He has dabbled with captaincy before. He had a 24-match spell leading Rajasthan Royals in 2018 and 2019 with a win-loss tally of 9-15, coupled with a brief captaincy stint with Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017, which makes it a total of 25. While the win percentage of 36 does not dazzle, he is methodical and has a reputation for being a calming influence, which wins him friends.
He further consolidates his cause by having recently performed well in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he topped the runs table as Mumbai captain and scored a match-winning 108 against Haryana in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal, pushing them into the semifinals. He has scored three 90s, one 80, and one century in the last 10 innings, which lay to rest doubts about his relevance in T20.
Venkatesh Iyer’s appointment as vice-captain adds experience to the youthful exuberance of Rahane. The 30-year-old has been with KKR since 2021 and has made himself the backbone of the team, scoring 1326 runs from 51 matches, including one century and 11 fifties, at a strike rate rates suited for the modern game.
The 2024 season was crucial in KKR’s title march, where his retention in the auction at INR 23.75 crore-the second-highest bid after Heinrich Klaasen’s INR 26 crore to Gujarat Titans-in fact, indicates his value. While Iyer has made his intentions known to lead KKR one day, his lack of captaincy experience, still less on the domestic front with Madhya Pradesh, has possibly led the franchise to position him as Rahane’s deputy, thereby setting a possible future transition in the making.
Speculation has surrounded this announcement for a long time. A leaked team sheet from a KKR practice match during a pre-season camp back in Mumbai named Rahane as captain of a side with both Iyer and Rinku Singh which sent the fans into frenzy on X. There were posts on the platform noting that Rahane’s jersey No. 3 was in accordance with KKR’s three IPL titles, while others commended Iyer’s all-around ability to take up the vice-captaincy role. The social media team of KKR added fuel to the fire by giving cryptic posts about March 3, which concluded with the announcement of the new jersey marked with a golden badge and three stars to commemorate their championship legacy.
Rahane’s new assignment consists of a formidable line-up. Along with retained stars Narine, Russell, Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Harshit Rana, KKR added Quinton de Kock, Anrich Nortje, and Moeen Ali at the auction. It would be a challenge for him to combine the array of talent at his disposal into a cohesive unit and impose his tactical imprint. His batting position will also be scrutinized and based on likely No. 4 or 5 positions, particularly given his modest IPL 2022 campaign with KKR (133 runs in seven matches with a strike rate of 103.90). Iyer, meanwhile, offers versatility and can either open or shore up the middle order while contributing with his medium-paced bowling.
As KKR readies for their IPL 2025 opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore on March 22, Rahane and Iyer have already started to instill the team’s spirit. During a pre-season event at Eden Gardens, Rahane spoke about building on 2024 success–the year KKR posted the best net run rate in IPL history and bowled out Sunrisers Hyderabad for an all-time low of 113 in the final–while Iyer stressed unity and flexibility. The duo would be put to the test early with a rigorous pre-season camp and title defense approaching.
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For Rahane, this is a golden opportunity through which he can redefine his T20 narrative. Iyer is on the cusp of superstardom; his vice-captaincy is but a lower rung on his ladder of further responsibility. As the countdown begins for IPL 2025, KKR’s faithful will be hoping this partnership of resilience and flair brings them the fourth star to shine on their historic shield, establishing them as a T20 powerhouse.
