IPL 2025: Can KKR Captain Ajinkya Rahane Silence the Doubters?

In the IPL auction of 2025, Kolkata Knight riders made a bold decision to part ways with Shreyas Iyer. Opinions within the cricket community were divided especially because this decision came after their 2024 triumph. It is rare for any franchise to release their title-winning captain, that too just after the title win. Kolkata has always made such daring decisions which means they have a clear vision for their future. After Iyer’s release, all eyes were on KKR as they were searching for a new leader for their team.  Cricket experts all over the world predicted that Venkatesh Iyer will take the captaincy because the franchise has invested heavily in him.  But once again, KKR has surprised us all. In the IPL auction, KKR acquired Ajinkya Rahane for INR 1.5 crore and later announced him as their captain for IPL 2025.

Cricket analysts are very sceptical of this move of appointing Rahane as captain. Aakash Chopra highlighted that Rahane’s primary challenge will be balancing his roles as both captain and batter. If KKR wants to optimise their bet on Rahane then they would have to make Rahane the batter open at Eden Gardens or bat at No. 3. If he batted later in the lower order then his chance to contribute to the team as a batter would drop significantly. 

Similarly, former cricketer Harbhajan Singh has also suggested that KKR might have been better off by appointing a different captain and keeping Rahane as a key batter. He suggested that Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, or even Andre Russell could have taken on the leadership role instead of him.

These debates are heating up as the tournament is coming closer and closer. The question remains the same—can Rahane prove his critics wrong and lead KKR to another successful campaign?

Rahane’s IPL Captaincy Statistics

Rahane’s Recent Form Bolsters His Case

When the situation is viewed from Rahane’s point of view then the story looks completely different. Rahane is entering this IPL in his top form. He has already delivered an amazing performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024-25. In the nine matches that he played in the tournament, he has made a total of 469 runs which includes five fifties with an impressive average of 58.62 and a beast strike rate of 164.56. Due to his aggressive approach, Mumbai won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. 

Rahane has shifted lately towards an attacking mindset in T20s. This transformation of him began during his stint with Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He was in the headlines of the 2023 season due to his season strike rate of 172.49. For the upcoming season, he has already stated that his approach would be to keep things simple. 

Leadership Experience: More Than Meets the Eye

Ajinkya Rahane’s IPL captaincy record may not be impressive (nine wins in 25 matches) but in International cricket, his leadership tell a very different story.  If we look at his Test captaincy, he has led the India team to four wins and two draws in a total of 6 matches. These wins include the historic series win of Australia in 2020-21. In the ODI and T20Is format, he has an unmatchable record of 100% wins in the three ODIs and two T20Is he captained. 

Rahane has always been a calm and collected person, no matter how difficult the situation is. This is exactly what KKR needs this season. KKR needs to manage last season’s winning players like Sunil Narie and Andre Russell at the same time they also have to guide younger talents. This requires a steady and experienced hand like that of Ajinkya Rahane. Venky Mysore, the CEO of KKR has recently reiterated that the philosophy behind the KKR franchise has always been to keep things simple and position players with roles at the right place that they need to be. 

As of now, Rahane is the captain for KKR for this season and the management believes that he is the right leader to take the franchise forward. This new season surely will be a defining season for both Ajinkya Rahane as well as KKR’s franchise. Will Ajinkya Rahane silence the critics and lead KKR to another IPL title? Only time will reveal the answer to this question.