Kolkata Knight Riders’ newly appointed captain, Ajinkya Rahane, has arrived at the team’s camp, with the franchise sharing pictures of his warm welcome on Tuesday, March 11. One of the images also captured Rahane stylishly dressed while posing with KKR’s three IPL trophies.
https://x.com/kkriders/status/1899419159655813582?s=46
The Knight Riders made a surprising decision not to retain Shreyas Iyer ahead of the auction, despite him leading the franchise to their third IPL title last year. Instead, they acquired Maharashtra-born Ajinkya Rahane, who was released by Chennai Super Kings (CSK), for his base price of ₹1.5 crore and appointed him as captain.
Ajinkya Rahane brings prior IPL captaincy experience, having previously led Rajasthan Royals, while all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer will serve as his deputy. Although KKR had released Venkatesh before the auction, they repurchased him for a staggering ₹23.75 crore.
The seam-bowling all-rounder played a crucial role in KKR’s title-winning campaign last season, scoring 370 runs in 15 matches at an average of 46.25. He also smashed an unbeaten 26-ball 52 in the final against SunRisers Hyderabad.
“Our squad is well-balanced and strong”- Ajinkya Rahane
Speaking about his captaincy appointment, the 36-year-old expressed his excitement about leading the franchise to a successful title defense, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:
“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 CEO Venky Mysore is optimistic about the captain and vice-captain’s partnership, expecting it to yield significant success for the team. He further added:
“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.”
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