• Source:JND
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In a surprising development, the seasoned captain of Mumbai's Ranji Trophy team, Ajinkya Rahane, has emerged as a strong candidate to captain the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.

As per a report in Times of India, Rahane is being considered for the coveted role, marking a significant turn in his T20 cricket career.

After being released by Chennai Super Kings ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, Rahane was acquired by KKR at his base price of Rs 1.5 crore.

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"Yes, 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," a source told TOI.

It was an unexpected development as the whole buzz was around that the franchise would hand the captaincy reins to all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer who was bought out for an aforementioned whopping Rs 23.75 crores at the latest IPL auction.

The veteran batter brings a wealth of leadership experience to the table as he had previously captained Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL.

Throughout his IPL career, Rahane has played for different franchises, including the Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, and Rising Pune Supergiant, before joining the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

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Rahane is all set to start with Kolkata Knight Riders for the second time in his career after donning the KKR jersey in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

However, Rahane's earlier stint with KKR wasn't such a fulfilling one as he could score only 133 runs in seven matches, at a strike rate of 103.91, during the edition.