Kolkata Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore revealed the reason behind choosing Ajinkya Rahane as the skipper of the defending champions instead of going with their record-signing Venkatesh Iyer. Before the captaincy announcement, there were speculations about Rahane and Iyer being the front-runners for the captaincy. The Madhya Pradesh all-rounder wasn’t among the list of retentions and appeared in the mega auction. KKR broke the bank and had to shell out a whopping Rs 23.75 crore to bring him back to the franchise.
After securing his homecoming, Iyer admitted his interest in captaincy if the franchise decided to hand him the responsibility.
However, the three-time champions decided to go for the experienced Rahane and appoint Iyer as his deputy. According to Mysore, the management decided to opt for Rahane to ensure captaincy didn’t become a taxing affair on Iyer.
“IPL is quite an intense tournament. Clearly, 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 [handling captaincy] 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 told ESPNcricinfo.
Rahane will begin his second stint with the franchise in the upcoming IPL 2025. His resume boasts his immense experience in leading a side to glory.
He has captained India to eight wins in 11 games across formats. He features among the most successful captains in domestic cricket. In the cash-rich league, he has captained in 25 matches across two franchises, once at Rising Pune Supergiant and the rest at Rajasthan Royals.
Mysore believes Rahane’s wealth of experience can only be beneficial for the defending champions and said, “He has played 185 IPL games, 200 international games across formats. He has led India, led Mumbai in domestic, he’s led in IPL. And he has played from season one of IPL. All that is massive. There should be no surprise at all.”
“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. 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,” he continued.
“And then there’s preparatory stuff in terms of camps, bowlers’ meetings, batters’ meetings, interaction with coaches – that’s a lot to take in. From that perspective, we are lucky we have got Ajinkya, who will be terrific for us. Not only as only as a captain, of which there’s no doubt, but also as a batsman. He has scored tons of runs,” he added.
Mysore went on to affirm that Iyer would continue to be a part of the leadership group and could grow as a potential captain in the future.
“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], so he definitely has got massive potential. So, he’s one for the future for us for sure. He clearly is captaincy material,” Mysore said.
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