03 March 2025 : Kolkata Knight Riders today announced Ajinkya Rahane as captain and Venkatesh Iyer as vice captain for the upcoming 2025 season of the TATA Indian Premier League
Making the announcement, Venky Mysore, CEO of KKR said, “We are delighted to have someone like Ajinkya Rahane, who brings his experience and maturity as a leader. Also, Venkatesh Iyer has been a franchise player for KKR and brings a lot of leadership qualities. We are confident that they will combine well as we start the defense of our title.”
Accepting the leadership role, Rahane said, “It’s an honour to be asked to lead KKR, which has been one of the most successful franchises in the IPL. I think we have an excellent and balanced squad. I look forward to working with everyone and taking up the challenge of defending our title.”
KKR will begin their TATA IPL 2025 campaign with the season opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Eden Gardens on Saturday, March 22.
About Knight Riders
The Knight Riders brand is a global brand in International Cricket, with eight trophies to its name and four professional franchises under its wings – Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League, Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the Caribbean Premier League, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ADKR) in UAE’s International League T20 and Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) in USA’s Major League Cricket, making it one of the most versatile brands in T20 cricket globally.
KKR has made four appearances in the IPL final, winning the championship thrice (2012, 2014, 2024). They finished runners-up in the 2021 season, staging one of the most remarkable comebacks in the tournament’s history. TKR’s Men’s Team has won the CPL championship 4 times in 10 years since Knight Riders took over the franchise. They are the most successful team in the Caribbean and hold a unique feat of having won the trophy in 2020 without losing a single game in the whole tournament. TKR Women, Knight Riders’ first ever Women’s Team, were champions of the inaugural WCPL in 2022.
For many years now, the Knight Riders Academy has been actively scouting talented cricketers from across India and around the world. The sole objective of the Academy is to identify and help cricketers make an overall round-the-year improvement in their cricketing skills and fitness.