The defending champions KKR have some important decisions to make regarding their ideal playing XI for IPL 2025.
Kolkata Knight Riders had an incredible campaign last year as they clinched their third Indian Premier League title, ending a 10-year drought. It was one of the most dominant seasons in IPL history, with KKR losing only three games in the tournament.
The Knight Riders had built a formidable side over the last three years but the mega auction forced them – like nine other franchises – to revamp their squad. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, KKR opted to retain Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh and Harshit Rana.
In the auction, they spent INR 23.75 cr to buy back Venkatesh Iyer while also signing Spencer Johnson, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ajinkya Rahane, Anrich Nortje, Quinton de Kock and others. Going through their full squad, here are four decisions that could define their IPL 2025 season.
One of the biggest reasons for KKR’s success last year was their opening duo of Phil Salt and Sunil Narine obliterating bowling attacks for fun. Salt amassed 435 runs at a strike rate of 182 while Narine made 488 runs at 181. The only opening pair better than them was Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma.
Kolkata Knight Riders didn’t retain Salt and failed to get him back in the auction. Instead, they acquired Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Gurbaz took the opening spot last year after Salt left for England duties but his current form means he is likely to be the backup this season as well.
That begs the question who will partner de Kock. Given the success Narine had at the top last year and the likelihood of flat pitches, KKR should continue with Narine as an opener. They can give him 3-4 games at the top and then assess based on how he fares.
The veteran KKR legend produced one of the greatest individual seasons last year, making enormous impact with both bat and ball. Narine had an unbelievable campaign with the bat as he hammered a century and three half centuries in the season.
It is unlikely that Narine can show the same level at the top of the order in the upcoming edition. His current form doesn’t inspire much confidence either. Since June last year, Narine has batted in 20 innings and has only managed 154 runs. He opened in seven games and could only get 65 runs.
If Narine doesn’t work at the top, KKR will have to be proactive. They could move Ajinkya Rahane or Venkatesh Iyer to the top. Rahane and de Kock give them a left-right combination.
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In IPL 2024, Kolkata Knight Riders had a pace trio of Mitch Starc, Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora, with Andre Russell as the fourth option. This season, they won’t have Starc but have a like-for-like replacement in Spencer Johnson.
With Anrich Nortje’s fitness in doubt, Johnson and Rana will be the two first choice pace options. Who will join them remains a question. KKR brought back Arora in the auction. He had a decent season last year, picking 11 wickets in 10 innings at 9.20 economy. KKR also secured the services of Umran Malik, who had a rapid rise and just as quick of a downfall.
Malik, who made waves for being the fastest bowler in the league and quickly earned an India call-up, hasn’t been at his best in the last couple of years. Malik had snared 22 scalps from 14 games in IPL 2022 but could only manage five from eight in the following season. Last year, he only got one game and hasn’t played any competitive cricket since due to rehab.
There is no doubt that Umran has a much higher ceiling between the two and can rip through opponents when on song. Fit again, Umran could find his form under the watchful eye of Bharath Arun. KKR should start with him at the beginning of the season and use him as a middle overs enforcer.
IPL 2025 is less than two months away and KKR are the only team without a captain. In IPL 2023, Nitish Rana had stepped up in the absence of Shreyas Iyer while Iyer led them to their third championship last year. The Knight Riders have neither of them for the upcoming edition, leaving them with a big decision to make.
In this modern age of cricket, captaincy has become less important as the coaches and support staff does most of the planning. However, you still need a sharp mind at the helm and someone who can manage the pressure and players.
Looking at the KKR squad, their top contenders seem to be Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh and Sunil Narine. Of those, Rahane has the most experience, having led India in three formats, Rajasthan Royals in 2018-19 and Mumbai in domestic cricket.
Rinku Singh and Iyer have not led any T20 side at professional level. Narine, who leads Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20, has experience but evidently doesn’t enjoy the role. It’s a similar issue with Russell as well.
So do KKR take a punt on one of Rinku and Venkatesh or do they go with a safer option in Rahane?
