Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday appointed Ajinkya Rahane as captain and Venkatesh Iyer as vice-captain for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League.
KKR had signed Rahane for his base price of Rs 1.5 crore at the IPL mega auction in November last year. Iyer, meanwhile, was KKR’s biggest buy (third most expensive overall at the auction) at Rs 23.75 crore.
Rahane replaces KKR’s successful captain from last season, Shreyas Iyer, who was not retained and was then snapped by Punjab Kings in the auction.
“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,” said KKR CEO Venky Mysore in a statement.
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Rahane said, “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.”
KKR will get their quest to successfully defend their title underway against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Eden Gardens on Saturday, March 22.
With KKR announcing Rahane as their lead, the only team yet to name a captain are Delhi Capitals (DC). Rishabh Pant led DC last year but was not retained and will lead his new team Lucknow super Giants in IPL 2025.
The IPL season gets underway on March 22.
