KKR’s Bold Move: Ajinkya Rahane Named Captain for IPL 2025
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) management has appointed veteran Ajinkya Rahane as captain for the 2025 season.
This article will dissect the rationale behind the decision and why we at SuperSports360 believe that the decision only magnifies the franchise’s confused mindset, which was also on show during the 2025 Mega Auction.
KKR Captaincy Shake-up: Rahane Takes Charge
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have appointed Ajinkya Rahane as their captain for IPL 2025 season. Venkatesh Iyer has been named vice-captain.
The appointment comes as a surprise as many expected Venkatesh to take on the leadership role after being bought back by KKR for ₹23.75 crore in the Mega Auction.
A Last-minute buy at the auction
Ajinkya Rahane was unsold when his name came up the first time on day one of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction
After no takers for the veteran in the initial rounds, Ajinkya Rahane was bought at his base rate in the accelerated round just before the auction ended.
This saved Ajinkya from the embarrassment of going unsold.
Ajinkya Rahane was part of the Chennai Super Kings and was released from his franchise for this season.
KKR’s Flop Auction Strategy
KKR did well the previous season as it was mentored by the now current India head coach, Gautam Gambir.
The 2024 team was built, ticking all boxes under Gautam Gambir’s supervision.
The team was also was well led by Shreyas Iyer under Coach Chandrakant Pandit, who lifted KKR’s 3rd IPL trophy.
With Gautam Gambir unavailable for KKR in this season, the confused mindset showed in the way the auction was held. The team let go of their IPL-winning captain and did not bring an able replacement in the Mega Auction.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) with no major buys and with options diminishing in the auction, went all out to purchase back Venkatesh Iyer for a mind-boggling 23.74 Crores, making him the 4th costliest player in IPL history.
While Venkatesh Iyer played a key role in KKR winning their third title, the purchase price at the auction stunned everyone as Venkatesh Iyer was not even in the probable of the current Indian Team set up.
Many felt that the high price tag meant that KKR management had made up their mind to appoint the south paw to lead the side.
The Captaincy Decision
To everyone’s surprise, veteran Ajinkya Rahane, who may not have been even part of KKR’s initial plans, was named the captain, with Venkatesh as his deputy.
The decision came as a surprise to many as even Chennai SuperKings, did not see Ajinkya as a suitable replacement for M.S.Dhoni.
Ajinkya Rahane was part of the KKR franchise in 2022 season, but was dropped from the squad in the next season due to poor performance.
Ajinkya in the 2022 season, scored only 133 in seven matches at a strike rate of 103.90 with a poor average of 19.
The Mumbai Ranji Captain,however came into form at Chennai Super Kings in the 2023 season at a strike rate of 172.48 and scored 326 runs.
Ajinkya again did not have a good 2024 season and was later released by the Chennai Franchise.
While Ajinkya Rahane has good experience leading Mumbai Domestic cricket, the T20 format is not his strongest suit.
His experience being captain of an IPL team for 25 matches, however has not been impressive. He was also replaced by Rajasthan Royals as captain mid-season in 2019 IPL for poor performance.
His win record is only 36%, with 9 wins and 16 defeats.
Over his career, Rahane has represented six IPL teams – Rajasthan Royals, Rising Pune Supergiant, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings, and now Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
While SuperSports believes, Venkatesh Iyer would also not have been the ideal captaincy replacement to Shreyas Iyer, the Franchise missed the bus to select a leader from the many options available in the 2025 Mega Auction.
In a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo, Venkatesh Iyer said he was “definitely ready” to lead KKR if offered the captaincy. So, did KKR management change their mind?
Will this move hurt KKR’s campaign of defending their Title?
KKR still enters the IPL 2025 season with a strong team and cannot be a push over. They will begin their title defence with the season opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 22.
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