Ajinkya Rahane’s extensive experience and composed captaincy in high-pressure tournaments such as the IPL led him to be the obvious choice to captain defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), says franchise CEO Venky Mysore.
Why KKR Preferred Rahane Over Venkatesh Iyer
Rahane was one of the strong favourites for the captaincy, as also all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer. Released after the 2024 season, Venkatesh too was bought by KKR at the auction at a whopping price of INR 23.75 crore ($2.3 million approx.) back from being released. Even though he had volunteered for being the leader, KKR appointed Rahane captain and assigned vice-captain to Venkatesh.
“IPL is quite an intense tournament,” Mysore told ESPNcricinfo. “Clearly, we think very well of Venkatesh Iyer, but at the same time it [captaincy] is taxing on a youngster. We have seen lots of people having lots of challenges with it [handling captaincy] as they go forward. It takes a very steady hand, takes a lot of maturity and experience which we felt Ajinkya brings with him.”
Shreyas Iyer’s Exit And Rahane’s Unexpected Return
Shreyas Iyer, who guided KKR to win the IPL 2024 title, chose to come back into the auction, and Punjab Kings bought him. Interestingly, Rahane went unbid when his name was called on the second day of the auction. KKR later scooped him up for his minimum price of INR 1.5 crore ($180,000 approx.) in the final round of bids for unsold players.
Rahane’s IPL Career and Leadership Qualifications
This will be Rahane’s second spell with KKR, after playing for the team in IPL 2022, when the team ended up seventh. A veteran IPL player, he has represented six teams and is among the rare handful of players who have been associated with the league since its inception in 2008.
He has led India, led Mumbai in domestic, he’s led in IPL. And he has played from season one of IPL. All that is massive. There should be no surprise at all [on appointing Rahane as captain].
Rahane also has quality leadership experience. He has led India in 11 games across formats, winning eight of them, and has led IPL franchises previously—once for Rising Pune Supergiant and several times for Rajasthan Royals.
“Captaincy cannot be underestimated. This is going to be my 15th season, so I have seen a lot. It is not only about what you do on the field. There’s a lot of [other] stuff when it comes to IPL, including dealing with media, and there will be expectation in terms of the captain. At the same time, it is a new cycle, there is diversity in the team, if you have to be a successful captain you have to invest in building relationships with everybody so that you know how to get the best out of everyone. And then there’s preparatory stuff in terms of camps, bowlers’ meetings, batters’ meetings, interaction with coaches – that’s a lot to take in. From that perspective we are lucky we have got Ajinkya who will be terrific for us. Not only as only as a captain, of which there’s no doubt, but also as a batsman. He has scored tons of runs.”
KKR’s Strategy: Experience Meets Future Leadership
Venky Mysore stressed how Rahane’s extensive experience would be a gem for KKR as they maintain their title. In the meanwhile, the selection of Venkatesh Iyer as the vice-captain is also viewed as grooming him as the future leader of the team with Rahane playing the mentor’s role.
“He’s a franchise player and what he has shown in terms of how he participates, and the respect that others have around him, and the energy he brings [to the dressing room], so he definitely has got massive potential. So, he’s one for the future for us for sure. He clearly is captaincy material.” Mysore on Venkatesh Iyer
“Knowing Ajinkya, he will take him [Venkatesh] under his wings and mentor him on the captaincy side of things. So, in a way, I expect they will be kind of joined at the hip and working very closely together.”
As long as they have Rahane at the front, KKR will seek to continue their glory and strive towards another incredible performance in IPL 2025.
