Ajinkya Rahane Or Venkatesh Iyer? Who Will Lead Kolkata Knight Riders In IPL 2025

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are in a dilemma after failing to secure Shreyas Iyer in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction. Venkatesh Iyer, who was their top buy at INR 23.5 crore, was considered for captaincy. However, Ajinkya Rahane has emerged as the frontrunner for the leadership role.

Rahane, acquired for INR 1.5 crore, is reportedly being eyed as the primary candidate to lead KKR in IPL 2025. Known for his leadership skills, Rahane has captained various teams across formats and currently leads Mumbai's Ranji Trophy team. In IPL history, he has only captained Rajasthan Royals during the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

Leadership Experience

A source informed the Times of India that Rahane is almost confirmed as KKR's new 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," said the source.

Venkatesh Iyer had expressed interest in leading KKR after his significant purchase by the franchise. He stated on JioCinema, "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."

Potential Vice-Captaincy Role

Venkatesh also mentioned his experience leading in Nitish Rana's absence due to injury and serving as vice-captain. "If given the responsibility, I would be more than happy to do it," he added.

KKR might appoint Rahane as full-time captain while assigning Venkatesh as vice-captain for IPL 2025. This arrangement could allow Rahane to mentor Venkatesh into a future full-time captain role.

The only other IPL team Rahane led was Rajasthan Royals in 2018 and 2019, winning nine out of 24 matches during his tenure.