Venky Mysore, CEO of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), opened up on the idea of Ajinkya Rahane being announced as the new Kolkata Knight Riders captain. KKR bought Rahane for his base price of INR 1.5 crore on day 2 of the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Monday.
Rahane returns to KKR in 2022, having previously represented both the three-time and defending champions. He has scored 133 runs in seven matches at an average of 19 and a strike rate of 103.90, with a high score of 44.
Rahane, known for his excellent technique and ability to anchor innings, adds much-needed balance to KKR's aggressive batting lineup. His experience managing high-pressure situations and directing run pursuits makes him an invaluable contributor.
Rahane’s leadership qualities and calm presence on and off the field will also play a crucial role in nurturing young talents in the squad.
When KKR CEO Venky Mysore was asked about Ajinkya Rahane becoming the new captain following Shreyas Iyer's departure, he indicated they would sit down and consider all considerations before making a decision.
“Well, you know that. To be honest, we have to sit down and take stock. Sometimes what happens is, after you’ve done all of these things, you just have to sit down, reflect, and look at the whole thing. There are stakeholders and parts of the think tank won’t be here. So, we’ll all sit down and have a proper chat about that, and I’m sure a proper decision will be made," Mysore was quoted by Star Sports.
KKR used a well-thought-out approach to bolster its roster during the IPL 2025 auction. The team made headlines by signing Venkatesh Iyer for a whopping INR 23.75 crore after a heated bidding war with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Venkatesh Iyer, only the second KKR batter to score a century in IPL, said he would be “more than happy" to take on the captaincy challenge.
“I had the opportunity to captain the side in Nitish Rana’s absence when he was unfortunately injured, and I was the vice-captain as well. I’ve always believed that captaincy is just a tag, but leadership is about creating an environment where everyone feels they can play for this team and contribute. If given the responsibility, I would be more than happy to take it on. Absolutely (I’m ready for it).
Together, we will aim to defend the championship and continue our winning campaign. Thank you very much for picking me in your squad,” said Venkatesh after he was bought by KKR for a huge amount.
The Kolkata franchise also strengthened its pace attack by recruiting high-profile players like Spencer Johnson, Anrich Nortje, Umran Malik, and Vaibhav Arora. In addition, they purchased Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Quinton de Kock, Rovman Powell, and Moeen Ali during the auction.
KKR Full Squad:
Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, 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, Ajinkya Rahane, Luvnith Sisodia, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, Umran Malik
