Ajinkya Rahane to Lead Kolkata Knight Riders as Captain, Venkatesh Iyer Takes on Key Role.

KKR new captain Ajinkya Rahane Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday announced Ajinkya Rahane as the captain and Venkatesh Iyer as the vice-captain for the Tata Indian Premier League 2025. Making the announcement, KKR CEO Venky Mysore said, “We are delighted to have someone like Ajinkya Rahane who brings his experience and maturity as a leader.”

Ankush Pandey Ankush Pandey
Mar 3, 2025 - 12:17 Updated: Mar 3, 2025 - 12:18
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Ajinkya Rahane to Lead Kolkata Knight Riders as Captain, Venkatesh Iyer Takes on Key Role.
Ajinkya Rahane to Lead Kolkata Knight Riders as Captain, Venkatesh Iyer Takes on Key Role.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has announced veteran batsman Ajinkya Rahane as the captain and Venkatesh Iyer, who performed brilliantly last season, as the vice-captain for the 18th season of the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) starting this month. The league will start from March 22. Last season, Kolkata won the title under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer. 

However, the franchise did not retain him before the mega auction. In such a situation, the franchise was looking for a new captain, which is now over. Rahane has previously captained Rajasthan Royals. Under Rahane's captaincy, Rajasthan Royals played 24 matches and won 9. The team had to face defeat in 15.

Rahane will be the 9th captain

Ajinkya Rahane will be the 9th captain of Kolkata Knight Riders. Earlier, Sourav Ganguly, Brendon McCullum, Gautam Gambhir, Jacques Kallis, Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan, Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Rana have captained this franchise. Kolkata Knight Riders have won the IPL title 3 times so far. The franchise lifted the trophy in 2012, 2014 and 2024.

List of KKR captains

  • Sourav Ganguly: 27 matches, won 13, lost 14
  • Brendon McCullum: 13 matches, won 3, lost 9
  • Gautam Gambhir: 122 matches, won 69, lost 51
  • Jacques Kallis: 2 matches, won 1, lost 1
  • Dinesh Karthik: 37 matches, won 19, lost 17
  • Eoin Morgan: 24 matches, won 11, lost 12
  • Shreyas Iyer: 29 matches, won 17, lost 11
  • Nitish Rana: 14 matches, won 6, lost 8

Making the announcement, KKR CEO Venky Mysore said, "We are very happy to have a player like Ajinkya Rahane. He brings with him experience and maturity as a leader. Also, Venkatesh Iyer has been a franchise player for KKR and has many leadership qualities. We are confident that they will both coordinate well to begin our title defense campaign." Accepting the role of captain, Rahane said, "It is an honor to be asked to lead KKR, one of the most successful franchises in the IPL. 

I think we have a great and balanced team. I am looking forward to working with everyone and taking on the challenge of defending our title." KKR will begin their Tata IPL 2025 campaign with the first match of the season against Royal Challengers Bangalore at their home - Eden Gardens Stadium on Saturday 22 March.