IPL 2025: Ajinkya Rahane unveiled as KKR captain

Rahane, who found no takers in the main round, was roped in by the franchise at his base price of INR 1.5 crore in the accelerated round at the auction, while Shreyas went to Punjab Kings. The captaincy announcement caps off a successful last few months for Rahane, as he played a critical role in Mumbai’s run to lifting the title in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with a chart-topping tally of 469 runs at an average of 58.62 and a strike rate of 164.56.

Accepting the leadership role, Rahane said, “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.”

Also Read: 3 Cricketers who could have been a better choice than Ajinkya Rahane for KKR captaincy

This will be Rahane’s second stint with the Kolkata-based franchise, having represented them in 2022. Rahane would not have fond memories from the time as he could manage only 133 runs at a strike rate of 103.90 in seven matches before being released ahead of the next edition.

As a captain, Rahane has nine wins and 16 losses to show from 25 matches, having led Rising Pune Super Giant in a solitary game in 2017 and Rajasthan Royals in 24 in 2018-19.

As for Venkatesh, the seam bowling all-rounder from Madhya Pradesh bagged a whopping INR 23.75 crore deal at the November auction as KKR went all out to secure his services after being unable to retain him. The deal made Iyer the third-most expensive purchase at the auction and the fourth-most overall. Iyer was a crucial cog in KKR’s title-winning campaign last year, amassing 370 runs at a strike rate of 158.79.