The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), defending champions of IPL (Indian Premier League) have announced Ajinkya Rahane as their new captain for the IPL 2025 season. The Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) will be starting from March 22 onwards.

Ajinkya Rahane has been named the captain of the side, with all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer picked as his deputy for the upcoming season. Ajinkya Rahane will be the eighth player to captain KKR in the IPL after Sourav Ganguly, Brendon McCullum, Gautam Gambhir, Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan, Shreyas Iyer, and Nitish Rana.

Rahane was bought by KKR in the IPL 2025 auction for INR 1.50 crore. On the other hand, Venkatesh Iyer was signed by KKR for INR 23.75 crore in the IPL mega auction and he was the highest bid for the franchise.

“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,” stated Venky Mysore, CEO of KKR.

Accepting the leadership role, Rahane said, "It's an honor 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."

The development represents a significant turnaround for the experienced Indian batter, who had initially received no bids in the IPL 2025 auction following a disappointing season with the Chennai Super Kings.

Rahane helped Mumbai win the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament recently by leading the run charts with 469 runs at an average of 58.62 and a strike rate of 164.56.