The 36-year-old batter, who was bought by KKR at his base price of INR 1.5 crore in the recent auction, is set to take on the leadership role following the departure of Shreyas Iyer.

Ajinkya Rahane is likely set to captain Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2025 after being bought for Rs 1.5 crore at the auction. Despite being dropped as Mumbai's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy captain, Rahane's leadership experience is highly regarded,

This comes after KKR bought Rahane at his base price of ₹1.5 crore at the recently concluded IPL auction in Jeddah. A source close to TOI claimed there's a 90% chance of Rahane leading KKR this season.

At the moment it's 90% confirmed that Ajinkya will be the new KKR captain. He was bought by KKR specifically for the purpose of being a viable captaincy option.'

This is going to be his second stint for the reigning champions. If reports are to be believed, Rahane has emerged as the frontrunner to lead KKR in the upcoming edition of the IPL.

Ajinkya Rahane hasn't captained an IPL team since the 2019 edition. He was roped in for his base price of Rs 1.5 crore by Kolkata Knight Riders.

Rahane, who had previously played for KKR in 2022, had been bought at his base price of Rs 1.5 crore by defending champions during the final round of bidding in the IPL mega auction in Jeddah.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are in a dilemma after failing to secure Shreyas Iyer in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction. Venkatesh Iyer, who was their top buy at INR 23.5 crore, was considered for captaincy.

Venkatesh Iyer was tipped to become the Kolkata Knight Riders captain in IPL 2025 after the India all-rounder was bought for a staggering ₹23.75 crore in the mega auction.

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.

IPL defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will be led by a new captain next season after they released Shreyas Iyer.