He has a clear idea on how he wants to go about it.
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are yet to named their skipper for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) season. Two frontrunners for the role are Venkatesh Iyer and Ajinkya Rahane. While KKR broke the bank to bring back Iyer by paying a whopping INR 23.75 crores, Rahane has previously played for the Purple and Gold outfit back in 2022.
Notably, Rahane has previous captaincy experience while Venkatesh has never led in competitive cricket.
Nevertheless, given his lofty price tag, it is understandable that KKR definitely has big plans for Iyer.
While the 30-year-old is extremely upbeat about the opportunity if it matures, he definitely has a clear vision on how he wants to go about it.
Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, Venkatesh said, “Definitely. Definitely, I’m ready. Again, I’ve always said this: captaincy is just a tag. I believe in leadership. That is a bigger role to play, being a leader.
He added, “You don’t necessarily need the tag of a captain to be a leader in your dressing room. You need to set examples. You need to be a good role model, both on and off the field, which I am doing right now in MP. I’m not the captain of the MP team, but my opinions are respected and I really love to be in an atmosphere where every individual has the freedom to voice your opinion.”
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Venkatesh was a key member last season for KKR and played a crucial role in the franchise winning the title for a third time. He scored 370 runs at an outstanding average of 46.25 and an explosive strike rate of 158.80 and led the middle-order batting. In total, Iyer has contributed 1326 runs in 51 matches for KKR with a strike rate of 137. It is the only franchise he has ever played for.
One potential reason KKR hasn’t announced the captain for IPL 2025 could be the busy Indian domestic schedule but is expected to be official confirmed in the coming days.
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