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Out-of-favour India batter Ajinkya Rahane remained unsold when his name first came up in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction. Later, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) roped him in for his base price of Rs 1.50 crore. While they broke the bank to get back Venkatesh Iyer for a whopping Rs 23.75 crore, it seems that Rahane may lead in IPL after a long gap of six years.
As per a report by TOI, Rahane was roped in for the sole purpose to lead the side after Shreyas Iyer fetched a massive bid of Rs 26.75 crore and went to Punjab Kings (PBKS).
"Yes, at the moment it's 90% confirmed that Ajinkya will be the new KKR captain. He was bought by KKR specially for the purpose of being a viable captaincy option," a source told TOI.
Earlier, Venkatesh had expressed his desire to captain KKR if the leadership option was given to him.
"I had the opportunity to captain the side in Nitish Rana’s absence when he was unfortunately injured, and I was the vice-captain as well," said Venkatesh after he was bought by KKR for the huge amount," the batting all-rounder said after the auction.
"I’ve always believed that captaincy is just a tag, but leadership is about creating an environment where everyone feels they can play for this team and contribute. If given the responsibility, I would be more than happy to take it on. Absolutely (I'm ready for it)," he added.
Rahane's captaincy record
Rahane made his IPL captaincy debut for now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant in IPL 2017. Rahane led RR in 2018 and 2019 seasons. From 24 games, Rajasthan Royals (RR) won just nine as they failed to make it to the playoffs.
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Rahane's recent form
Rahane has been playing under Shreyas' captaincy for Mumbai in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024. From three innings, he has scored 133 runs including two half-centuries.
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