Kolkata Knight Riders find themselves in a mix after the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, with two of their stars batters emerging as gems of the tournament. Ajinkya Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer have stood out through the course of the domestic T20 tourney. Their journey to the side in IPL 2025 auction was although polar opposite.
While veteran Ajinkya Rahane was bought by KKR for his base price of Rs 1.5 cr, Venkatesh Iyer was the team’s richest buy, fetching a mammoth Rs 23.75 cr price at the auction. While the duo have emerged as front-runners for being the next KKR captain, they also are on contention for the covetable number three position.
Ajinkya Rahane or Venkatesh Iyer, who should be KKR’s no. 3?
KKR are on the lookout for a suitable replacement for number three after releasing Shreyas Iyer. Both Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer tick all the boxes that the side needs for a star to fulfill the role. While Iyer has been the side’s usual number three and has been consistently delivering both in IPL and domestic tourneys, he faces a stiff competition in the form of Rahane.
The veteran has been in red-hot form and has nailed his role as opener for Mumbai. In fact, Rahane revived his career in the shortest format of the game after being roped in by CSK in IPL 2023. One could evidently see a shift in Rahane’s attitude, marking a transformation from a conventional red-ball cricketer to a smash hitter in the shortest format of the game.
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| Ajinkya Rahane | Venkatesh Iyer |
| 37 | 17 |
| 98 | |
| 84 | 38 |
| 95 | 27 |
| 22 | 22 |
| — | 16 |
| 68 | 12 |
| 52 | 22 |
| 13 | 37 |
While Venkatesh Iyer is a viable option for numer three for KKR in IPL 2025, Rahane seems to have put himself ahead in the race. He has finished Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as one of the leading run-getters. KKR would be fools to not consider Rahane in the top-order, given how he has fared in comparison with Venkatesh Iyer.
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