Who should replace Shreyas Iyer as KKR Captain in IPL 2025?

Bollywood superstar duo Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla’s Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were the team to beat in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL). KKR registered the most convincing victory in a final in the IPL history to lift their only third IPL trophy to solidify their place as the third best team in the league.

Shreyas Iyer and his Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were absolutely flying from the start to the end and held on their momentum to get a hold of the IPL trophy. KKR’s 2024 IPL squad was probably the best IPL squad in the history of the competition.

However, within weeks after the final, KKR have had to disassemble their title winning squad with the IPL 2025 Mega Auction on the horizon. KKR held on to 6 players and surprisingly, their captain Shreyas Iyer has left the franchise to explore his value in the Mega Auction.

As of now, Kolkata Knight Riders is in desparate need of a captain for the IPL 2025 season and in this article, we take a look at who can replace Shreyas Iyer as KKR captain in IPL 2025. We have explored expensive and cheaper options according to the likely dynamics of the option.

Expensive Options

Shreyas Iyer

The first option in the expensive category would be Shreyas Iyer himself, who better than the man who helped them lift the Trophy. KKR won’t find a better captain than Shreyas Iyer at the moment in the IPL. However, with many teams in the hunt for a captain, must mention Punjab Kings with their 110.5 crore purse, it would be quite expensive option to explore for the KKR.

KL Rahul

The next option in the list is another Indian middle-order batter who was the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) but have been released by the franchise, we are talking about KL Rahul. Rahul’s relationship with LSG detiorated to the fact that both Rahul and franchise owner Sanjeev Goenka had a heated discussion on the ground itself during the IPL 2024.

KL held several meeting with the franchise and eventually was let go of saying that the franchise prioritised players who will keep team benefit first than individual achievements, taking a slight dig at Rahul. Rahul though would be an expensive option for KKR to consider. KL is likely to cross the 12-15 crore mark as many other teams are also in hunt for a captain, including obviously Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who have had a long interest on their local player.

Rishabh Pant

Delhi Capitals and their captain Rishabh Pant has also parted ways ahead of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction. Pant was made the captain of the franchise when regular captain Shreyas Iyer was injured. The franchise decided to keep Pant over Iyer when the latter returned, which prompted him to leave the franchise. Pant has been a long servant to the Delhi Capitals, from the Delhi Daredevils days.

However, it was social media post by Pant asking the fans whether he should the enter the auction, is where it all began. Rishabh Pant decided to leave Delhi Capitals and is now likely to gain a significant bid in the mega auction. While Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be there for the left-hand wicketkeeper batter, there is still some interests from Punjab Kings, RCB, LSG and even CSK. Pant won’t come easy for KKR though.

Jos Buttler

England captain Jos Buttler has been serving as the deputy to Sanju Samson for the Rajasthan Royals for a long time. However, ahead of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction, the franchise has decided part ways with Buttler. Buttler is going to be one of the most sought after names in the Auction for his great consistent batting over the years in the IPL for the Rajasthan Royals.

Rumours have already linked the former Mumbai Indians batter to return to his former franchise. KKR is also said to be interested. Jos Buttler is likely to fetch around 12-15 crore in the Mega Auction. There is not much to talk about Buttler’s leadership, but just know the fact that England dominated the T20 World Cup in 2022 under his captaincy.

Venkatesh Iyer

Venkatesh Iyer was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) since making his debut for the side in 2021, but has been released ahead of IPL 2025 Mega Auction. KKR plans to buy back their man and might also consider him for the leadership role. Although Venkatesh has no prior captaincy experience, he has been a big part of the franchise, also serving as the vice-captain in the absence of Shreyas Iyer in 2023 and Nitish Rana in 2024.

Venkatesh Iyer is known for his great performance in the big matches and has a deep understanding of the game. He is very humble, down to earth and keeps the dressing room cheerful with his playful banters. There are some other franchises who are interested in Iyer and is likely to cost around 10-15 crore.

Cheaper Options

Rinku Singh

Not particularly a player that they need to buy in the auction, Rinku Singh could be another great option for the captaincy of the Kolkata franchise in the IPL 2025 season. Rinku has established himself as one of the most important player in the T20 format of the game for KKR and India.

Rinku most recently led the Meerut Mavericks in the Uttar Pradesh T20 League (UP T20 League) 2024 season and the team was crowned champion although Rinku missed the final match due to being with the Indian team. But, alongwith his leadership duties, he played significant role with the bat. Rinku is currently the face of KKR and if he can become a successful captain, KKR could be blessed.

Nitish Rana

Left-hand middle-order batter Nitish Rana led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2023 season when the team’s captain Shreyas Iyer was unavailable for the season due to injury. Rana is a solid middle-order batter who has been a long part of the franchise. However, the left-hand batter has been released by the franchise ahead of Mega Auction.

We have included Rana as a cheaper options as the left-hand might be available for less than most of the players mentioned above. Rana missed most of IPL 2024 due to finger injury and is not having a great form in the domestic cricket either. KKR could look to buy back their man and give him the keys to the leadership.

Andre Russell

Another captain that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) can try out in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) would be their star all-rounder Andre Russell. Russell had a brief stint as a captain in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and his team won the title in 2019-2020 season under his leadership.

Knight Riders Group have tried out Sunil Narine as captain for KKR’s sister teams Abu Dhabi Knight Riders and the Los Angeles Knight Riders, it hasn’t been convincing, however, the franchise is yet to give a leadership role to Russell. Which might remain the case as Russell is a very injury prone player. But, there is another option in the form of Russell for KKR, who is already with the team.