Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have announced Ajinkya Rahane as their captain for the upcoming IPL 2025 season. Venkatesh Iyer will serve as Rahane's vice-captain.

“It’s a privilege to lead KKR, one of the most successful teams in IPL history. I believe we have a strong and well-rounded squad. I’m excited to collaborate with everyone and embrace the challenge of defending our title,” Rahane stated in an official announcement on Monday.

KKR secured Rahane during the mega auction for INR 1.5 crore, while they made a significant investment to bring Venkatesh Iyer on board for INR 23.75 crore.

“We’re thrilled to have Ajinkya Rahane, who offers valuable experience and leadership. Venkatesh Iyer has been a key player for KKR and possesses great leadership skills. We’re confident they’ll work well together as we aim to defend our championship,” said KKR CEO Venky Mysore.

Prior to the auction, KKR parted ways with Shreyas Iyer, their captain from the IPL 2024 season. They attempted to reacquire the right-handed batsman, but he was ultimately picked up by the Punjab Kings.

Shreyas will now take the helm of the Punjab Kings in IPL 2025.

KKR is set to kick off their IPL 2025 season by facing off against RCB

KKR is set to kick off their IPL 2025 season with a match against Rajat Patidar's Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens on March 22.

Recently, RCB announced Rajat Patidar as their captain for this season of the lucrative league.

Before the IPL 2025 auction, KKR decided to keep some key players, including Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Ramandeep Singh.

They retained Harshit and Ramandeep as uncapped players since they hadn't made their India debut by October 31, 2024.

During the auction, KKR brought in some exciting talent like Quinton de Kock, Rovman Powell, Moeen Ali, Spencer Johnson, Anrich Nortje, and Umran Malik.

Here's the KKR squad for IPL 2025: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Anrich Nortje, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markande, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Spencer Johnson, Luvnith Sisodia, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, and Umran Malik.

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