IPL 2025: The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have made a significant decision and given Ajinkya Rahane the team’s captaincy as the season draws to a close. Although fans anticipated that Venkatesh Iyer would be given this role, KKR shocked him by appointing him as vice captain.
KKR spent ₹23.75 crores to buy Venkatesh Iyer, which makes him one of the most expensive players in IPL history. However, the cost alone does not determine captaincy; experience, leadership abilities, and the correct attitude are necessary. Now, let us examine why KKR selected Iyer as the vice-captain and Ajinkya Rahane as the captain.
IPL 2025: 5 Big Reasons Why Venkatesh Iyer Wasn’t Made KKR Captain
Freedom for Venkatesh Iyer’s Batting
While some athletes thrive under captaincy, others find it to be a burden. KKR does not want the pressure of captaincy to affect Venkatesh Iyer’s game. His job is to attack the bowlers from the beginning and give the team a fast start.
After becoming the captain, the player has to focus not only on his game but also on the strategies of the entire team, field settings, bowling changes and every small and big decision. This additional responsibility could have affected Iyer’s natural game somewhere. To allow him to play in his own way without any pressure, KKR kept him free.
Rahane’s Mentorship for Iyer
Being a captain is more than just making choices on the field; it is the art of handling pressure, assessing the circumstances of the game, and making the best choice when it is needed. Ajinkya Rahane has captaincy experience in both Tests and IPL. He has handled the Indian team in difficult situations and captained in big tournaments.
On the other hand, Venkatesh Iyer has not captained any big team so far. KKR considers him the leader of the future, but instead of giving him the captaincy directly, he has been given a chance to learn with the experienced Rahane.
Iyer’s Lack of Captaincy Experience
Venkatesh Iyer has amazing talent, but he has zero experience in captaincy. Even in domestic cricket, the Madhya Pradesh team was captained by Rajat Patidar, not Iyer. In a high-pressure league like the IPL, the captain should not only be a good player but also a great strategist.
He should know when to be aggressive, when to play defensive and how to manage the big players in the dressing room. KKR decided to gradually prepare him by making him the vice-captain instead of giving him the captaincy directly.
Managing Iyer’s Price Tag Pressure
The price tag for Venkatesh Iyer is already high at ₹23.75 crores. In such a situation, if he was given the captaincy, the pressure would have doubled. In the IPL, expensive players are expected to perform in every match and every decision as a captain is reviewed.
If there was a wrong strategy or his bat remained silent, the criticism would have been even more severe. As the vice captain, KKR has made sure he only concentrates on his game and plays well.
Rahane’s Experienced and Balanced Leadership
KKR won the title in 2024, and the team was playing with a balanced combination. The franchise wanted to maintain this balance and did not want to take the risk by bringing in an inexperienced captain. Since he has captained and played in the IPL for a long time, everyone has faith in Ajinkya Rahane’s composed demeanor.
For this reason, KKR appointed him captain; however, he also gave Venkatesh Iyer an opportunity to gain leadership experience by appointing him as vice-captain. This decision of KKR is part of future planning. Venkatesh Iyer is a great player and an important part of the team, but right now he needs to focus on his game and gain experience instead of captaincy. His future as captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders will not be a huge deal if he keeps up his current level of play.
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