The defending champions have appointed Ajinkya Rahane as their new captain for IPL 2025.
In an interview with ESPN Cricinfo, former Indian batter Aakash Chopra opined on Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) “biggest challenge” in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. There were speculations regarding Venkatesh Iyer being the potential captain of KKR following the release of their former title-winning skipper Shreyas Iyer. However, the three-time IPL winners announced Ajinkya Rahane as their new skipper last week.
Venky Mysore, the CEO of KKR, explained the captaincy call by emphasising Rahane’s experience. He stated that Rahane’s “maturity” to handle the captaincy in an “intense” tournament like the IPL made him a better candidate for the role over the apparent newcomer Venkatesh.
“KKR’s biggest challenge this season is the ‘captain-batter’ conflict that Rahane will face”, predicted Chopra.
The former KKR player suggested Rahane to open the innings. However, he acknowledged that the skipper would face a “captain-batter conflict” which may affect the team’s performance.
“For Rahane the batter, the best thing to do is open at Eden Gardens. Or else, bat at No.3. Anything lower kills his chance to contribute significantly because he needs the powerplay”, he opined.
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Furthermore, the cricketer-turned-commentator discussed KKR’s batting-order troubles. In an ideal situation, Sunil Narine should open for the team after his last season’s heroics, alongside their latest acquirement Quinton de Kock. This leaves Rahane with the only option to take up vice-captain Venkatesh’s spot at No.3.
That is the conflict. Sunil Narine will open and he will open with Quinton de Kock if he is in the team. Now will they tell Narine not to open after the runs he scored last season? Of course, he will open. So, No.3, which is ideally the position for Venkatesh Iyer, is the best you can do for Rahane. Or else he will have to forgot his own ambitions as a batter”, stressed Chopra.
Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh also agreed with Chopra’s statement regarding Rahane’s batting position. He said that KKR should have appointed Venkatesh, Russell or Narine as the skipper to avoid this conundrum.
This year’s IPL will kick off on March 22. The defending champions will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Eden Gardens.
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