The defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be seen playing under a new skipper in IPL 2025. Veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane has been appointed to take up the leadership role for KKR ahead of the upcoming season with Venkatesh Iyer getting appointed as vice-captain. Recently, Iyer also spoke up about Rahane’s captaincy with a couple of days ahead of KKR’s opening match of the season.
Venkatesh Iyer praised Ajinkya Rahane for his leadership and calm and composed behaviour. “So far, he (Rahane) has been an amazing leader of the group. He has taken the initiative to make conversations with all of us and try to gel with the team. We are talking about someone who has led India across formats and captained IPL teams before. He has a great head on his shoulders, remains composed under pressure, and has been a stalwart of the game. He has scored runs everywhere. For me, it's going to be a great learning experience, and I am quite excited to play under him," Venkatesh was quoted as saying by Crictracker.
I have always carried myself as a leader: Venkatesh Iyer on his vice-captaincy
Venkatesh Iyer was not among the retained players for KKR ahead of the mega auction. However, the franchise spent a purse of INR 23.75 crore to get him back in the squad in the auction. Iyer was also among the top contenders to take up the captaincy role. However, the franchise decided to appoint Rahane as their captain making Iyer his deputy. Speaking further, Venkatesh Iyer also spoke about how he is gonna take up the new role in the upcoming season.
“There is no specific preparation for it. I have always carried myself as a leader, so it's not entirely new to me. I have put in the hard yards in both batting and bowling. More than anything, it's about mindset--if you have accepted the role and are willing to take on the responsibility, half the job is already done. Our preparation has been good, and we have a strong group of players. I'm really excited and looking forward to the season,” Iyer said.
