IPL | Ajinkya Rahane to captain KKR with Venkatesh Iyer as his deputy

Indian veteran Ajinkya Rahane is set to take the helms at defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders in what is his second stint with the franchise. Rahane played seven games for KKR in 2022, scoring 133 runs at a strike rate of 103.90, before being released ahead of the 2023 season where he was picked up Chennai Super Kings and caught a second wind. The Mumbai-man accumulated 326 runs while striking at over 170 in IPL 2024, and recently backed up those numbers by ending as the top run-getter in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, his 469 runs at 164.56 helping lead Mumbai to the title.

Rahane is tasked with replacing Shreyas Iyer who had led KKR to their third title in 2024. The Mumbaikar had combined brilliantly with mentor Gautam Gambhir and had a formidable core at his disposal, a large part of which remains intact with names like Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Nitish Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, and Ramandeep Singh still a part of the squad.

“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 after the appointment.

The race for the armband was anticipated to be between Rahane and Venkatesh, given the latter was bought for INR 23.5 crore while the INR 1.5 crore winning bid for Rahane only came on the second day after the 36-year-old had gone unsold in round one of the auction and KKR had failed to buy back the likes of Nitish Rana and Shreyas . Venkatesh had even stated he was ready despite having no leadership experience but will have to settle in as the vice-captain for now considering Rahane's one and a half seasons as Rajasthan Royals captain in the IPL.    

“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,” KKR CEO Venky Mysore said in a statement.

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