IPL 2025: Venkatesh Iyer all but confirms himself as new KKR captain

Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer has expressed his desire to lead the franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. He mentioned that he is ready to take over the role, saying that he believes in being the leader, which, according to him, is a bigger role.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) stays one of the two franchises along with Delhi Capitals who are yet to announce their captain for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The league is all set to begin from 22nd March and they have kept many confused about their decision.

Venkatesh Iyer in contention to lead KKR along with Ajinkya Rahane

There have been many speculations that it will be Venkatesh Iyer, who will be named as KKR captain. This is because the all-rounder has been an integral part of the franchise for the last few years and has been consistently scoring runs for the team, batting at the top as well as in the middle.

Kolkata Knight Riders invested a lot in Venkatesh Iyer as they acquired him for the whopping price of INR 23.75 crore in the IPL 2025 auction. There have been reports that he is in contention to lead the team along with former India captain Ajinkya Rahane. However, many have backed the all-rounder even though he has not captained in competitive Cricket.

I believe in leadership - Venkatesh Iyer

Venkatesh Iyer is, however, ready to take the role. He said that rather than being the captain, he wants to be the leader and set examples in the dressing room. He added that even though he isn't captain of Madhya Pradesh his opinions are respected inside the dressing room, stressing that he wants to become a role model. Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, he said:

"Definitely. 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. 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 MP.

"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 - again, new or experienced, 20 lakhs, 20 crore, whatever - you just need to have the freedom to voice your opinion. Or you just need to have the freedom to give opinions and give suggestions and them to be taken in the right spirit."

If captaincy comes my way, I would definitely want to do it - Venkatesh Iyer

Venkatesh Iyer added if captaincy came his way, he would want to do it. He also lauded KKR management for letting players play in the domestic cricket. He elaborated:

"I've always wanted to be that person. And if captaincy comes my way, I would definitely want to do it. There's no ambiguity surrounded to this. I'll definitely do it, if it comes my way. There is no reason not to do it.

"It's good that they're giving players their space and letting them focus on domestic cricket. Whenever it comes, we'll see about it."

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