Kolkata Knight Riders appointed Ajinkya Rahane as the team's captain in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League post his exceptional run in domestic 20-over cricket.
Rahane has primarily played his international cricket in whites, but he has successfully reinvented himself in the shortest format of the game. This was evident in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, where he emerged as the leading run-scorer with 469 runs at a strike rate of 164.56.
In the IPL, Rahane showcased his transformation while playing for Chennai Super Kings in the 2023 and 2024 editions.
Rahane, as the new KKR skipper, replaces Shreyas Iyer who is set to lead Punjab Kings in this season. Iyer and KKR parted ways unexpectedly after a successful campaign in the previous edition.
Also, Venkatesh Iyer has been named as the vice-captain of the defending team.
🚨 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 - Ajinkya Rahane named captain of KKR. Venkatesh Iyer named Vice-Captain of KKR for TATA IPL 2025. pic.twitter.com/F6RAccqkmW
March 3, 2025Rahane has played for KKR in the past and the franchise bought him for his base price of Rs 1.5 crore at the mega auction.
"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,” said Rahane in a statement.
Rahane, who captained India to a historic Test series in Australia in 2020-21, led Mumbai to the semifinals in the recently concluded Ranji Trophy.
In IPL, he has previously captained Rajasthan Royals where he was replaced by Steve Smith in the middle of the 2019 season.
KKR did not have too many captaincy options in the squad. Among the Indian players, they had to choose between Rahane, Venkatesh and Rinku Singh.
KKR will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL season-opener at the Eden Gardens on March 22.
(With PTI Inputs)
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