Venkatesh Iyer Stokes Claim for KKR Captaincy After IPL 2025 Auction

Venkatesh Iyer, who was re-signed by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a hefty INR 23.75 crore in the IPL 2025 auction, has openly staked his claim for the team’s captaincy. With Shreyas Iyer, the previous captain, having been acquired by Punjab Kings in the mega auction and later appointed their captain, KKR is now looking for a new leader to take the reins.

 

Venkatesh Iyer’s Confident Stance on Captaincy

 

In an exclusive interview with ESPNcricinfo, Venkatesh Iyer expressed confidence in his ability to lead the franchise, stating, “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.”

 

The 29-year-old cricketer, who has already shown his leadership qualities in various forms of the game, emphasized that true leadership transcends titles. “You don’t necessarily need the tag of a captain to be a leader in your dressing room,” he said. “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.”

 

Leadership Beyond the Captaincy Tag

 

Venkatesh Iyer’s statement highlights his calm and mature approach to leadership, underlining the importance of leading by example. While the tag of captaincy may be important, he believes that the essence of leadership lies in setting a positive example for teammates to follow.

 

KKR’s Future Leadership in Focus

 

KKR’s management will be closely monitoring Iyer’s performance throughout the upcoming season to determine whether he is the right candidate to succeed Shreyas Iyer as the captain. As a seasoned player with valuable experience in both domestic and IPL cricket, Venkatesh Iyer could very well be the ideal choice to guide the team in the 2025 season and beyond.

 

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The Road Ahead for Venkatesh Iyer and KKR

 

With his all-round capabilities and leadership mindset, Venkatesh Iyer appears ready to take on the responsibility, should the opportunity arise. As KKR prepares for another exciting season, all eyes will be on the dynamic all-rounder to see if he can indeed lead the franchise to new heights.

 

Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2025 Squad

 

Rinku Singh, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Luvnith Sisodia, Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markande, Spencer Johnson, Umran Malik, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy

 

Stay tuned to UcCricket for more updates on IPL 2025 and KKR’s leadership decision as the season progresses!