IPL 2025: Ajinkya Rahane vows to keep things ‘simple’ as Kolkata Knight Riders eye to defend Indian Premier League title

Newly-appointed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane vowed to keep things ‘simple’ as the three-time champions eye to defend their title when the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League kicks off on March 22 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. After the title triumph in IPL 2024, a lot has changed in KKR.

While captain Shreyas Iyer decided to jump into the auction pool and head to Punjab Kings, mentor Gautam Gambhir took up the national team job. In fact, Gautam, Gambhir guided India to a ICC Champions Trophy glory recently, of which Shreyas Iyer was also a part.

With just less than 10 days remaining for the world’s biggest T20 franchise league to start, new captain Ajinkya Rahane expressed his gratitude for the opportunity.

“It’s an honour for me to lead this wonderful franchise. I’m really thankful and grateful to the management for giving me this opportunity,” Ajinkya Rahane, who replaced Shreyas Iyer as KKR captain said in a pre-tournament press conference in Kolkata.

Defending a title comes with a lot of pressure and challenge at the same time. For Ajinkya Rahane, who has scored loads of runs in domestic cricket recently, acknowledged the challenge of defending the title but remained focused on the immediate future.

“For me it is always about keeping it simple… We will obviously give our best this season,” added Ajinkya Rahane, who was a part of Mumbai’s title-winning Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy campaign last December.

For Mumbai in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, Ajinkya Rahane opened the batting for Mumbai. However, things will be different at KKR as Sunil Narine and Quinton de Kock or Rahmanullah Gurbaz are likely to open the batting. With Venkatesh Iyer batting at no.3. Ajinkya Rahane is expected to take up the no.4 slot.

When asked about his batting position, Ajinkya Rahane emphasized a team-first mentality and stated “I have always played wherever the team wanted me to play. Team thinking has always come first.”

You can’t ignore it altogether: Venkatesh Iyer

Venkatesh Iyer, who was brought for a whopping Ra 23.75 crore, was also appointed as the vice-captain of the franchise ahead of IPL 2025. Asked about handling the pressure of his price tag, the tall all-rounder took a pragmatic approach.

“It exists. You can’t ignore it altogether, but when the TATA IPL starts, it really doesn’t matter. You’re a part of a playing XI, a part of a team that is going out there to win,” said Venkatesh Iyer.