IPL 2025: Nitish Rana set to be retained by KKR? Batter himself reveals

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Nitish Rana opened up about his retention by the franchise ahead of the highly anticipated IPL 2025 mega auction. Nitish Rana said that he is unsure about his retention despite consistently performing for the Kolkata Knight Riders for the past seven years in the IPL.

Rana has been part of the Kolkata Knight Riders over the past six years. However, the franchise is unlikely to retain him with the upcoming mega auction being allowed teams to retain only six players. The Knight Riders will have to make difficult decisions about their squad for the next season of the IPL.

Have Been Serving KKR For The Past Seven Years - Nitish Rana

Speaking to the Times of India, Nitish Rana said that he wants to continue playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders. The left-handed batter said that he has not yet received any official communication regarding his future from the team management, who will make the call on retentions for the IPL 2025.

"I have been serving KKR for the past seven years. It's not in my hands if I will be retained, it's up to KKR management to decide," Rana told TOI in an interview.

The 30-year-old batter has joined the Kolkata-based team ahead of the IPL 2018 season. The left-handed batter has scored 2199 runs in 90 matches at an average of 28.19 and a decent strike rate of 136.33. He also made his debut for the Indian national cricket team following a good IPL season in 2021.

Nitish became the captain for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2023 after Shreyas Iyer was injured. The team struggled under his leadership as they finished in seventh place with only six wins out of 14 matches. Rana missed the majority of the IPL 2024 season due to injury and played just two matches.

Nitish Rana has scored over 300 runs in every IPL season except for 2024, where he managed to score 42 runs at a strike rate of 123.53. As of now, KKR has not yet revealed their retention list, with the deadline for submitting player names to the Board of Control for Cricket in India set for October 31.

I Can Take On The Captaincy - Nitish Rana

Nitish Rana said that he is ready to take on the captaincy for Uttar Pradesh in the upcoming Ranji Trophy. Rana is eager to contribute to the team's success after health issues. He said that some key players, including Rinku Singh, Yash Dayal, and Dhruv Jurel, will be unavailable for the initial matches.

"I haven't discussed this (on availabilities) with the coach or selectors yet. However, players like Rinku (Singh), Yash Dayal, and Dhruv Jurel won't be available for initial matches, so we'll see some new faces replacing those playing for the country. I am ready to take control of the team again. If the association feels I'm capable, I can take on the captaincy," Rana said in the same interaction.

Also read: Mukesh Kumar confirms his selection for BGT 2024-25, says "from what I've heard..."