Who will be the captain of KKR and DC in IPL 2025?

Top 3 Strong Contenders for KKR Captain in IPL 2025
 

Kolkata Knight Riders won their third IPL title in 2024 after having one of the most dominant performances in the history of the sport. However, it came as a surprise to everyone when the champions from the previous season did not retain their title-winning skipper. KKR made six retentions: Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana, and Ramandeep Singh. They were one of the two sides to have made six retentions in order to keep their core team intact. 

While the Kolkata Knight Riders have managed to assemble a great squad of players, they can be one of the most dangerous teams in the upcoming season. But they are yet to announce a skipper for IPL 2025. So, here is a look at the top three contenders for KKR captaincy in IPL 2025.

Check out: IPL 2025: Schedule, Venues, Key Rivalries, Play Offs and Groups

Venkatesh Iyer
 

Venkatesh Iyer is a strong KKR captain for IPL 2025 contender. The medium-pace bowling all-rounder since 2021 has been a crucial player for the franchise. His importance in the setup increased even further when Iyer was retained ahead of IPL 2022 ahead of Shubman Gill. Even though KKR has been criticized for the move that saw them letting go of Gill, it has paid huge dividends in the last few seasons. Iyer was not retained by KKR, but the intentions of the franchise to get him back into the team were on display as they splurged out ₹23.75 crores for him during the auction.

In IPL 2023 and 2024, the left-handed batter scored 774 runs at a strike rate of 151.7. His exploits in the two seasons saw him making his first T20 hundred as well as helping KKR to clinch their third title with a dominating display of batting in the Qualifier 1 and the Final against Sunrisers Hyderabad. In both these games, the left-hander registered half-centuries at a strike rate of more than 180.

Interestingly, Iyer is one of the most educated cricketers in India. He has an MBA degree in finance and held a job with Deloitte as well. It makes him a great thinker, which could help while taking tough decisions before a game. If he is named the captain, then Iyer will be taking on his domestic team’s skipper, Rajat Patidar’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru, in the season opener.

Ajinkya Rahane
 

When the IPL 2025 mega auction finished, no one would have predicted Ajinkya Rahane to be a sure-shot in KKR’s playing 11, let alone be one of the three captaincy contenders. The right-handed batter has found great form in the domestic circuit ahead of the 2025 season. He already has experience leading an IPL side and even played for KKR in the past. Rahane’s experience of leading the Indian cricket team could come in handy if he is announced the KKR captain in 2025.

In the leadup to the Indian Premier League 2025, the right-handed batter top-scored in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, 2024. Opening the batting for Mumbai, Rahane scored 469 runs, which included the highest score of 98 runs. He averaged 58.62 during the tournament, but what set him apart from most batters was his strike rate. The top-order batter struck at a rate of 164.56 and smashed 65 boundaries in the competition.

Apart from his heroics in SMAT, which helped Mumbai win the title, Rahane has led greatly in the Ranji Trophy. The former Indian batter leads Mumbai in the first-class tournament and recently scored a ton. His century came during the quarterfinals and propelled Mumbai one step further to a title. His hundred came at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, which could be yet another sign for him to become KKR captain in 2025.
 

Sunil Narine
 

Sunil Narine’s mystery spin has outfoxed batters in the Indian Premier League for more than a decade. His first season for three-time champions came in 2012 when they won their first trophy. Since then, Narine has added a lot of variations into his arsenal, none more threatening than his batting at the top of the order. If there is any cricketer who has mastered the role of a pinch-hitter from baseball, it is Narine while playing for KKR in the IPL. As the team won their third title in 2024, the bowling all-rounder etched his name into history by being named the Most Valuable Player for the third time. It is the most any player has won the award in the league.

He was one of the six retentions made by KKR ahead of the auction. It is possible that the franchise retained him while thinking of making him the KKR captain in 2025. He has been trusted for the role across different teams owned by the Knight Riders group in different T20 leagues around the world. 

Narine is the captain of the Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) in Major League Cricket (MLC) and the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ADKR) in ILT20. However, in both tournaments, the Knight Riders have had poor records. They have finished fifth and sixth on the points table in the MLC and sixth (twice) and fourth in ILT20. Being the most important player in the KKR setup, the management might look past him as the captaincy so as to not overload his responsibilities, which could hinder his performance.
 

Top 3 Strong Contenders for DC Captain in IPL 2025

Even though KKR won the title last season, it will be the skipper of Delhi Capitals who will possibly be under the most pressure. DC, formerly known as the Delhi Daredevils, has never won the Indian Premier League trophy. It does not matter who will be the DC captain in 2025, but he will have their task cut out for him to lead them to their first title. Having finished sixth in the previous season, they made four retentions ahead of the mega auction.

Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Tristan Stubbs, and Abhishek Porel were retained by the franchise. They used their Right-To-Match card on Jake Fraser-McGurk and Mukesh Kumar. The finalists from 2020 have managed to buy some of the great players even after not retaining fan favorite Rishabh Pant. There are a few contenders who could lead Delhi Capitals in the upcoming season of the IPL, and here is a look at them.
 

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KL Rahul
 

KL Rahul is one of the front-runners to be named the DC captain for IPL 2025. The right-handed batter has led the Lucknow Supergiants and Punjab Kings in the past in the IPL. However, even though he is one of the most experienced leaders in the IPL, Rahul’s record is pretty poor as a captain. His timid batting approach has been a source of criticism in the past.

Unlike KKR’s three contenders, Rahul has more recent experience of captaincy in the IPL. The right-handed opening batter led Lucknow Supergiants in the previous three seasons. However, one of the most viral clips from IPL 2024 was him being berated by LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka after a horrific 10-wicket defeat against Sunrsiers Hyderabad.

Personally, for Rahul, a leadership role could act as a great tool for him to get back into the T20I side. Even though the Indian team in the shortest format is possibly the strongest side in the world in current times, Rahul’s ability to keep wickets, along with leadership qualities, could come in handy.

Axar Patel
 

Axar Patel, in the last couple of years, has established himself as the premier spin-bowling all-rounder in India’s T20I setup. He was DC’s first retention ahead of IPL 2025 and was retained at a cost of ₹16.50 crores. The spin-bowling all-rounder was recently handed a promotion in the Indian T20I setup as well. Axar was named vice-captain for the five-match T20I series against England early this year. 

He has been an integral part of the Delhi Capitals for the last six years since joining them in 2019. He played a crucial role in 2020 with the ball in hand when DC made their first IPL final appearance. Being an economical bowler, took nine wickets in the season at an economy of 6.41 runs per over.

There are a few pieces of evidence that show the impact of captaincy on KL Rahul’s batting. DC could name Axar the captain to maximize Rahul’s batting at the top of the order. Axar, on the other hand, has shown no such signs during the time he was the deputy to Suryakumar Yadav on the national team.

Faf du Plessis
 

Faf du Plessis could very well become DC captain in 2025. The former South African has the most experience in leading teams in the Delhi Capitals unit. The 40-year-old has not only led the South African side but has also led T20 teams in different leagues and countries. In the IPL, he led Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the last three seasons. 

However, the only that works against Du Plessis from becoming the DC captain in 2025 is that his spot in the playing 11 is not guaranteed. If the DC management decides to go with Harry Brook in the middle order, then the four overseas spots will be filled, which would mean that Du Plessis would have to sit out. However, the dwindling form of Brook in the India-England T20I series would mean that the South African could get into the playing 11 instead of the Englishman.