KKR CEO Openly Reveals Why Venkatesh Iyer Was Betrayed For IPL 2025 Captaincy

When the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) went for Venkatesh Iyer for a price of INR 23.75 crore in the mega auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025), most of the fans and pundits predicted him to be the new leader of the side in place of Shreyas Iyer, who left the franchise after last year’s heroics.

But last week, the three-time champions surprised the entire community to appoint Ajinkya Rahane as the new leader for the upcoming season, with Venkatesh remaining as the vice-captain. The latter was prepared to shoulder the responsibility, despite not having any prior experience in the department.

Venky Mysore elaborates reasons for choosing Ajinkya Rahane as the new KKR leader

Rahane’s vast experience of leading the national side and the domestic Mumbai team in an intense tournament like the IPL made him an automatic choice to lead the purple franchise, as CEO Venky Mysore addressed.

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“IPL is quite an intense tournament. We think very well of Venkatesh Iyer but, at the same time, it [captaincy] is taxing on a youngster. We have seen lots of people having lots of challenges with it as they go forward. It takes a very steady hand, takes a lot of maturity and experience, which we felt Ajinkya brings with him.” Mysore said during a recent interaction on ESPNcricinfo.

Rahane’s lone season with the KKR side in 2022 wasn’t inspiring as the right-handed batter grabbed only 133 runs in seven innings at an average of 19 and a strike rate of 103.90, shouldering on the best score of 44 runs. In the next season for the Chennai Super Kings, he rediscovered himself in the position.

Rahane is one of the select group of players to be part of the IPL from the very first season. He has led in 25 matches across two IPL franchises, one at the Rising Pune Supergiants and the rest at the Rajasthan Royals.

“He has played 185 IPL games, 200 [195] international games across formats. Rahane has led India, led Mumbai in domestic, and he's led in IPL. And he has played since season one of IPL. All that is massive. There should be no surprise at all [on appointing Rahane as captain].” KKR CEO explained.

“Captaincy cannot be underestimated”- Venky Mysore

Last year, Shreyas Iyer, the KKR leader, also contributed with the bat in the league by clubbing 351 runs in 14 innings at an average of 39 and a strike rate of 146.86, thanks to two half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 58 runs.

“Captaincy cannot be underestimated. This is going to be my 15th season, so I have seen a lot. It is not only about what you do on the field. There's a lot of [other] stuff when it comes to IPL, including dealing with media, and there will be expectation in terms of the captain.” Venky Mysore revealed.

“At the same time, it is a new cycle. There is diversity in the team; if you have to be a successful captain, you have to invest in building relationships with everybody so that you know how to get the best out of everyone.” KKR’s CEO highlighted.

KKR keeps their card open for Venkatesh Iyer’s potential captaincy

Mysore also added that Venkatesh would continue to be a part of the captaincy group, and he had the potential to grow into a future leader.

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“We have been very, very impressed with the leadership qualities that he has shown. He's a franchise player, and what he has shown in terms of how he participates. The respect that others have around him, and the energy he brings (to the dressing room).” Mysore informed.

The three-time champions will begin the IPL 2025 season against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru on March 22 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.