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In a stunning turn of events, Ajinkya Rahane is reportedly leading the race to captain Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2025.

After he went unsold in the first draft in the recently concluded IPL 2025 mega auction, KKR bought Rahane late on day two at his base price of INR 1.5 crore to fill the opener’s slot (capped players category), only for him to stay ahead of everyone in the captaincy pecking order.

The Mumbai domestic team has appointed Shreyas Iyer who helmed KKR in 2024 as captain for the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament.

After the 2025 IPL auction, Shreyas moved to Punjab Kings.

Rahane’s return to T20 cricket and form, wherein he hit twin fifties in his last two outings against Kerala and Maharashtra, has bolstered his chances of bagging a permanent spot in KKR’s XI from the next season onwards.

"Yes, at the moment, it's 90 per cent confirmed that Ajinkya will be the new KKR captain.

He was bought by KKR specifically for the purpose of being a viable captaincy option," a source close to the information said, as quoted by TOI.

This move, however, contradicted the idea of KKR purchasing their star all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer for a whopping $2.8 million (INR 23.75 crore), hinting at his appointment as the franchise’s new captain.

KKR retained six players ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, leaving no room for them to use the RTM for Iyer, for whom they splurged $2.8m in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, KKR made several shocking calls in the lead-up to the mega auction by not retaining the two Iyers, including their captain Shreyas, who will now play for Punjab Kings from IPL 2025 onwards.

Punjab Kings (PBKS) entered the auction with the biggest purse (INR 110 crore) and bagged Shreyas Iyer for $3.13 million (INR 26.5 crore), making him the most expensive IPL player ever. 

Rishabh Pant’s bid next, however, surpassed it, with Lucknow Super Giants pocketing the batting dynamite for a sizeable $3.18m (INR 27 crore).

Rahane returns to KKR
Having played for KKR in 2022, where he featured in seven games, scoring a mere 133 and striking at just over 100 (103.90), Rahane returns to play for Kolkata.

In IPL 2023, he represented Chennai Super Kings (CSK), batting at number three and scoring 326 runs from 14 matches.

His contribution led to CSK winning the IPL title for the record fifth time.

Chasing 171 in the rain-hit final against Gujarat Titans, Rahane scored a quick-fire 27 off 23 balls, including two sixes and as many fours, to see his team home.

Though the right-handed batter played 13 matches the following season, his form dipped, as he scored just 242 runs at a strike rate of 123.46.