IPL 2025- RCB's new captain Rajat Patidar gets a stern warning from KKR officially

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Chandrakant Pandit has sent a stern warning to the newly appointed captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Rajat Patidar, ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025).

As Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) set to kick off the IPL 2025 season, Chandrakant Pandit warned Rajat Patidar about the tough challenge. Notably, the KKR vs RCB season opener will take place on March 22 at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Chandrakant Pandit warns RCB skipper Rajat Patidar about tough battle against KKR in IPL 2025

Patidar recently led Madhya Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) and the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT), and the former MP head coach has expressed confidence in the RCB skipper’s leadership abilities to take the franchise forward.

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However, the KKR head coach said that Patidar will have a tough time against the defending champions, but the presence of experienced players like Virat Kohli in the RCB squad will help him. Chandrakant Pandit was quoted as saying by Mid-Day, “Though he is a new captain, there are stalwarts [like Virat Kohli] in his team. I am confident he will do well because he has the experience of leading MP. But he will have a tough time against us.”

KKR to announce new captain soon

On the other hand, KKR is yet to finalize their captain for IPL 2025, and Pandit revealed that they will make the announcement soon after discussions with franchise owners and the CEO. He said that KKR will have a better idea of the ideal captain and team combination after a few camps.

The KKR coach added, “In a few days we will take a decision on the captaincy [after] discussing with our franchise owners and CEO. We will come to know in one or two matches about what combination works for us. We will get an idea in our upcoming camps what every player’s role will be.”

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KKR faces challenge with new players in IPL 2025

Additionally, Pandit admitted the challenge of starting afresh with several new players in the upcoming season. The coach further explained, “We have a few new players who were not part of the title-winning team last season. To understand each other will be quite important, as they have played for different franchises earlier and now are part of our team.

IPL is always a very competitive tournament, and we can’t say any team is weak. It’s a challenge for all teams because all have new players through the mega auction.”

Chandrakant Pandit hopes the core team lead the way

With seasoned stars like Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, and Rinku Singh leading the charge, KKR’s squad is packed with talent and experience. And Pandit is confident that the current squad will help the team to retain the title.

Notably, Kolkata Knight Riders’ IPL 2024 winning captain Shreyas Iyer will now lead Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the upcoming IPL 2025. It is being said that the Kolkata-based franchise can bat on Venkatesh Iyer, whom they brought back INR 23.75 crore at the mega auction.