Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have appointed Ajinkya Rahane as their skipper for the next Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. The franchise has also picked Venkatesh Iyer as vice-captain of the team in a bid to tighten up their leadership group before the title defense.

It’s a privilege to be invited to captain KKR, one of the most successful franchises in the IPL. I believe we have a great and well-balanced team. I’m looking forward to working with all the players and taking up the challenge of defending the title,” Rahane said in an official statement on Monday.

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KKR retained Rahane at a price of INR 1.5 crore in the massive auction, whereas Venkatesh Iyer, a central player of the franchise, was bought at an astronomical INR 23.75 crore.

Ajinkya Rahane and Iyer as Captains

KKR CEO Venky Mysore was optimistic about the new captains. “We are thrilled to have a person like Ajinkya Rahane, who has experience and maturity as a leader. Also, Venkatesh Iyer has been a franchise player for KKR and possesses a lot of leadership traits. We are sure that they will gel well as we begin the defense of our title.”

Ahead of the auction, KKR let go of Shreyas Iyer, who was the captain of the team to IPL 2024 titles. The franchise tried to re-sign him but Punjab Kings managed to get him. Shreyas will now captain Punjab Kings in IPL 2025.

KKR’s IPL 2025 Opener Against RCB

KKR will begin their IPL 2025 journey against Rajat Patidar-captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Eden Gardens on March 22. RCB recently appointed Patidar as their new captain for the upcoming season.

KKR Squad Bolstered With Important Retentions and Acquisitions

Before the auction, KKR kept core players like Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Ramandeep Singh. Harshit and Ramandeep, the uncapped players, were kept because they had not made their India debut by October 31, 2024.

KKR picked up major signings during the auction, inking Quinton de Kock, Rovman Powell, Moeen Ali, Spencer Johnson, Anrich Nortje, and Umran Malik.

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.