The defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders are left without a captain heading into the new edition of IPL 2025. The Kolkata outfits didn’t retain their last season’s title-winning captain Shreyas Iyer who moved to PBKS in the mega auction. As things stand KKR doesn’t have a captain and we take a look at the top 3 players who can lead the Knights this season.
Venkatesh Iyer
In all certainty, Venkatesh Iyer should be the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders. KKR spilled out a whopping 23.75 crores to re-buy the player in the IPL 2025 Mega Auction. KKR didn’t have the option to retain him on IPL 2025 Retention Day. But come the mega auction, they went on to re-buy their most trusted player.
With no Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Rana this time in the team, Venky Iyer is the best player to lead the side. Not only is he a top-order batter who can score runs in a flurry, but his bowling and all-rounder skills make him one of the Most Valuable Players on the team.
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Ajinkya Rahane
Another choice for KKR to captain the side is veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane. The Mumbai batter had previously played his part in KKR back in 2022 before moving to Chennai Super Kings. In the IPl 2025 Mega Auction, KKR scooped on the veteran batter for his base price of 1.5 crores.
Ajinkya Rahane brings with him loads of experience. Known to guide his side to win in high-pressure situations, Rahane can also prove to be a great mentor for the young players on the team.
Quinton de Kock
KKR was quick to get Quinton de Kock in the IPL 2025 Mega Auction after Lucknow Super Giants didn’t retain him. The Kolkata outfits got their hands on the ace Proteas star for a low and cut price of 3.6 crores.
De Kock is a known leader as he has previously led South Africa across all three formats of the game. The southpaw is a power hitter and his keeping skills are next to none. All these abilities make de Kock one of the most sought players who can quite easily lead the charge for KKR this season.
