With the IPL 2025 just 11 days away, Ajinkya Rahane has joined his team. Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has welcomed the return of the stalwart, who will lead the side this time around.
KKR, who are a 3-time IPL champions announced their skipper on March 3 at 3:33 PM. The Bengal-based franchise would hope this trick can help them retain their title in the upcoming edition.
In-form Rahane has uphill task for IPL 2025
Rahane has played in the league from its inception, representing six teams in 185 games. He’s known as a true leader, with his biggest accomplishment seeing India’s Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) win in 2021. Rahane has captained the Indian cricket team in all formats, including Mumbai in domestic cricket and the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Rising Pune Supergiant in the IPL.
But probably the most important reason for Rahane’s appointment as KKR captain was his recent performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, when he scored 469 runs (the highest) at 58.62 with a strike rate of 164.56. This may have reassured KKR to chose him over Venkatesh Iyer, who has no captaincy experience.
KKR paid a record Rs 23.75 crore for Venkatesh during the IPL 2025 auction, but they did not trust him with captaincy and instead designated him Rahane’s deputy. Rahane was bought for his base price of ₹1.5 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah.
“It’s an honour to be asked to lead KKR, which has been one of the most successful franchises in the IPL. I think we have an excellent and balanced squad. I look forward to working with everyone and taking up the challenge of defending our title,” Rahane said upon becoming the KKR captain.
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