Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
The 18th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to commence from Saturday, March 22 with the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) taking on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the tournament opener in Kolkata. Both the teams will take the field with a revamped side along with new captains. While the Bengaluru-based franchise will be led by Rajat Patidar, Ajinkya Rahane will be seen leading the three-time champions.
Ahead of their opening clash, the Kolkata based franchise has been sent a major “conflict” warning. Former India cricketer, Aakash Chopra expressed concerns over Rahane’s appointment as captain despite the co-owners reinstating faith in the veteran batter due to his past records at the helm.
KKR's biggest challenge this season is the 'captain-batter' conflict that Rahane will face: Aakash Chopra
In his recent interaction with ESPNcricinfo, Chopra opined that Rahane will be troubled by the captain-batter conflict, adding that it could affect the team negatively if Rahane fails to contribute with the bat. "For Shreyas Iyer, they've got a domestic middle-order batter, who recently helped his side win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He is in good form. But I do understand because KKR's biggest challenge this season is the 'captain-batter' conflict that Rahane will face,” he said.
“For Rahane the batter, the best thing to do is open at Eden Gardens. Or else, bat at No. 3. Anything lower kills his chance to contribute significantly because he needs the powerplay," Chopra further added while suggesting a batting order for the veteran India batter.
Chopra suggested the ideal scenario for Rahane is to bat at number three, while adding that even Iyer played at the same position last season. "That is the conflict. Sunil Narine will open and he will open with Quinton de Kock if he is in the team. Now will they tell Narine not to open after the runs he scored last season? Of course, he will open. So, No. 3, which is ideally the position for Venkatesh Iyer, is the best you can do for Rahane. Or else he will have to forgo his own ambitions as a batter," he added. The former India cricketer’s comments echoed former India spinner Harbhajan Singh’s suggestion.
Kolkata Knight Riders' IPL 2025 squad
Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Mayank Markande, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Rovman Powell, Spencer Johnson, Manish Pandey, Luvnith Sisodia, Ajinkya Rahane, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, Chetan Sakariya
