Kolkata, Mar 4: Kolkata Knight Riders has appointed Ajinkya Rahane as captain and Venkatesh Iyer as vice-captain for the 2025 IPL season.Rahane expressed his excitement, stating, “Leading KKR is an honour. We have a well-balanced squad, and I look forward to working together to defend our title..”
Rahane’s return as an IPL captain marks a remarkable turnaround. Initially unsold after a lacklustre stint with CSK, KKR secured him for his base price of Rs 1.50 Cr in the accelerated auction round.
Since then, Rahane has rediscovered his form, leading Mumbai to Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy glory as the tournament’s top scorer with 469 runs at an impressive average of 58.62 and a blazing strike rate of 164.56.
KKR will begin its IPL 2025 campaign against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens on March 22.
KKR has won three IPL titles (2012, 2014, 2024) and finished as runner-up in 2021.
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,” said Rahane.
KKR CEO Venky Mysore made the announcement and said the team was delighted have Rahane and Venkatesh as the captain and vice-captain of the side respectively.
“We are delighted to have someone like Ajinkya Rahane, who brings his experience and maturity as a leader. Also, Venkatesh Iyer has been a franchise player for KKR and brings a lot of leadership qualities. We are confident that they will combine well as we start the defense of our title,” said Mysore.
Venkatesh has been with KKR since his debut season in 2021 and was bought for a whopping 23.75 crore rupees during the IPL 2025 auction. KKR will start their title defence against RCB on the opening day of the IPL 2025 season on March 22.
KKR squad for IPL 2025
Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Anrich Nortje, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markande, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Spencer Johnson, Luvnith Sisodia, Ajinkya Rahane, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, Umran Malik.