Venkatesh Iyer (Source: @ipl/X.com)
With less than a month left for the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 to begin, the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are yet to formally announce their captain. However, their prime all-rounder, Venkatesh Iyer, has put his hand up for the prestigious role.
Venkatesh Iyer Ready If Given The Opportunity
The star all-rounder for Kolkata Knight Riders, Venkatesh Iyer, who was repurchased by the franchise in the auction last year for a record sum of ₹23.75 crore, is excited if given the opportunity to captain the side. During a recent interview, Iyer confirmed that he is ready to lead the side if the franchise chooses him as the successor to the 2024 IPL-winning captain, Shreyas Iyer.
“Definitely, I’m ready. Again, I’ve always said this: captaincy is just a tag. I believe in leadership. That is a bigger role to play, being a leader. There’s no ambiguity surrounding this. I’ll definitely do it, if it comes my way. There is no reason not to do it,"
To the unversed, the franchise is pondering the option between experienced Ajinkya Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer as their skipper for the upcoming season.
However, no official announcement has been made so far. In the interview, Iyer confirmed that he is excited about this opportunity, as he believes he can be the leader of the side rather than just being the captain.
“You don’t necessarily need the tag of a captain to be a leader in your dressing room. You need to set examples. You need to be a good role model, both on and off the field, which I am doing right now in Madhya Pradesh,"
Despite all the murmurs around, the left-hander is confident that this role will suit him, as despite not having any experience of captaincy in any format of the game so far, he believes that being a good role model is something that helps in the long run.
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Additionally, he would also like to help the youngsters on the side, as it won't matter to him if they are experienced or not. Considering, he will give everyone the option to voice their opinion in the dressing room.
“I’m not the captain of the MP team, but my opinions are respected and I really love to be in an atmosphere where every individual — new or experienced, Rs 20 lakh, Rs 20 crore, whatever — you just need to have the freedom to voice your opinion."
Talking about Venkatesh, the 30-year-old batter who made his IPL debut back in the year 2021, has been one of the phenomenal players in the league overall so far.
With 1326 runs at an average of 31.57, Iyer has struck runs at a strike rate of 137.13 in 50 IPL matches. It will now be interesting to see who the franchise chooses as their upcoming skipper, as both Iyer and Rahane seem to be the top contenders for this role.
Also, one of the reasons being speculated that they have not announced their skipper so far is that the players have been busy with domestic cricket, and the Kolkata Knight Riders management intends to give them their time to focus on the home season after which they will announce their skipper.
IPL 2025 To Begin On 22nd March
Talking about the game, the Knight Riders are all set to play the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the opening encounter of this year's IPL 2025 on March 22nd, Saturday from 7:30 PM IST.
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