Reports: Ajinkya Rahane emerges as frontrunner to become Kolkata Knight Riders captain in IPL 2025 (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Ajinkya Rahane joined the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) last month at the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction at his base price of INR 1.50 crore. This is going to be his second stint for the reigning champions.
If reports are to be believed, Rahane has emerged as the frontrunner to lead KKR in the upcoming edition of the IPL. The right-handed batter has the experience of leading Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and the Indian team in Test cricket. He is also the captain of Mumbai in the red-ball format. However, the veteran was removed from the captaincy of the T20 team as Shreyas Iyer is leading the Mumbai contingent in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024.
“Yes, at the moment it’s 90% confirmed that Ajinkya Rahane will be the new KKR captain. He was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders specifically for the purpose of being a viable captaincy option,” a source was quoted as saying by Times of India.
Rahane had played for the Shah Rukh Khan-co-owned franchise in IPL 2022. He had a forgettable campaign, scoring just 133 runs in seven games at an average of 19 and a strike rate of 103.91. The experienced batter moved to Chennai Super Kings ahead of IPL 2023 and had a stellar year, scoring 326 runs at a staggering strike rate of 172.49, his best in a particular season in the cash-rich league. Rahane was not at his best this season as he scored 242 runs in 13 games at 20.17.
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However, if he is announced as the captain of the side, the added responsibility could bring the best out of him. The Knight Riders have been known to be a franchise that has given a lot of independence to their captain in terms of decision-making. Rahane is not unfamiliar with the environment at the Kolkata-based franchise and would want to help them retain the title in the 18th edition of the 10-team competition.
Interestingly, many fans and pundits felt that Venkatesh Iyer, who was re-signed by KKR for an awe-inspiring INR 23.75 crore at the IPL 2025 auction, would be leading the side. However, it seems that the popular franchise has decided to go with the experience of Rahane.