Ajinkya Rahane has been named the Kolkata Knight Riders’ captain for IPL 2025. Rahane has previously led the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian cash-rich league. Venkatesh Iyer has been named the vice-captain of the defending champions.
Kolkata Knight Riders have announced Ajinkya Rahane as their captain for the upcoming Indian Premier League 2025. Rahane, who has led the Rajasthan Royals in the past, will lead the defending champions, with Venkatesh Iyer as his deputy.
Rahane, the IPL 2023 winner with Chennai Super Kings, was roped in at his base price of Rs 1.50 crore by KKR in the IPL 2025 mega-auction. KKR were without a captain after they parted ways with their title-winning skipper Shreyas Iyer ahead of the 2025 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,” Ajinkya Rahane said after being named as the skipper in a KKR release.
Rahane does not boast a strong record as captain in the IPL. He has led RR in 24 matches and the Rising Pune Supergiant in one game. He has only nine wins in 25 games and has suffered 16 losses. Rahane is also running out of the Indian team across all formats.
However, he has been on a run-scoring spree in the domestic circuit. Rahane was the leading run-scorer for Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with 469 runs to his name in nine innings at an average of 58.62. Rahane recently led Mumbai to the Ranji Trophy semifinals, where their title defence was halted by eventual champions Vidarbha. He rediscovered his form late in the tournament with a hundred against Haryana in the quarterfinal.
KKR CEO Venky Mysore also gave his reactions on the announcement. “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,” Mysore said.
