With the IPL 2025 auction done and dusted, the focus has now shifted towards finding the best XI for every team. Having a solid leader is a key ingredient of any playing XI.
And nine out of 10 teams have their captains in place. But Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are in a fix over finding a suitable captain from their assembled squad.
So that leaves us with a big question: Who will be the next captains of KKR in IPL 2025?
Last season, Shreyas Iyer was KKR’s captain, and he led the team to their third IPL title triumph. Despite that, the Knight Riders didn’t retain Iyer and let go of him before the auction.
KKR did try to buy back Shreyas, but Punjab Kings splashed INR 26.75 crore to secure him. Now that has left the KKR management in a puzzle as to who should be their next skipper.
KKR will have a huge task at hand to decide their captain before the IPL 2025 season kicks off. Among the players assembled, they do have a few captaincy options, from Ajinkya Rahane to Venkatesh Iyer.
Experienced Ajinkya Rahane to the Rescue?
Initially, Ajinkya Rahane went unsold in the auction. But later in the accelerated round, KKR bought their former player for INR 1.5 crore.
Rahane represented the franchise back in the 2022 season. The Mumbai batter is an experienced player in the IPL, having scored over 4600 runs.
Before his stint with KKR, Rahane was the captain of Rajasthan Royals (RR) for two seasons in 2018 and 2019. Plus, he has also captained Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for a few seasons.
He has captained teams in over 50 T20 games, with more than 25 wins under his belt. Even in the IPL, he led RR in 24 matches. With enough captaincy exposure, Rahane seems to be a perfect captaincy choice for KKR in IPL 2025.
Will Sunil Narine spin some surprises?
Sunil Narine has been a Knight Rider since 2012. And the spinner is well aware of management’s thought process.
Narine doesn’t have vast captaincy experience as such, though he has led KKR’s sister franchises in ILT20 and MLC. So that might go in his favour, with KKR also giving him the responsibility in IPL 2025.
Will Andre Russell power KKR to another trophy?
Another Caribbean star who has been a mainstay of KKR. Andre Russell has won many matches for the team with his muscular all-round performances.
Speaking of his captaincy, Russell has donned the hat of a leader in a few T20 leagues. So KKR may look towards him as a potential captain for the upcoming season.
Is veteran Manish Pandey right for the job?
KKR bought back Manish Pandey in the auction for INR 75 lakhs, adding an experienced batter to their roster. Apart from batting, the Karnataka batter has a stellar record as a skipper in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Pandey led Karnataka in 34 matches and won 28 between 2015 and 2021. In 2021, he also captained Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in a match, though the team lost it.
KKR shouldn’t ignore Pandey’s captaincy potential while he also provides a reliable option in the middle order.
Will Venkatesh Iyer prove his worth?
KKR broke their bank to buy back Venkatesh Iyer in the auction. They spent INR 23.75 crore to acquire the all-rounder.
Now there are speculations that the management will hand him the captaincy duties of the team. Venkatesh Iyer doesn’t have captaincy experience as such, so it will be interesting to see if KKR appoints him as their new captain in IPL 2025.
