New Delhi: India batter Ajinkya Rahane was Monday assigned captaincy of defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League after a remarkable run in the domestic T20 competition.
The 36-year-old Rahane, who has played majority of his international cricket in whites, has reinvented himself in the shortest format which was evident in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy wherein he emerged as the leading run getter with 469 runs at a strike rate of 164.56.
In the IPL, the right-handed batter had also given a good account of his transformation while playing for Chennai Super Kings.
Rahane replaces Shreyas Iyer as KKR skipper, with the latter set to lead Punjab Kings this season. Iyer and KKR had surprisingly parted ways after a triumphant campaign in the last edition.
Venkatesh Iyer, who was also in the reckoning to lead KKR, has been made Rahane’s deputy.
Rahane has played for KKR in the past and the franchise bought him for his base price of Rs 1.5 crore at the mega auction.
“It’s an honour to be asked to lead KKR, which has been one of the most successful franchises in the IPL. I think we have an excellent and balanced squad. I look forward to working with everyone and taking up the challenge of defending our title,” said Rahane in a statement.
Rahane, who captained India to a historic Test series in Australia in 2020-21, led Mumbai to the semifinals in the recently-concluded Ranji Trophy.
In IPL, he has previously captained Rajasthan Royals where he was replaced by Steve Smith in the middle of the 2019 season.
KKR did not have too many captaincy options in the squad. Among the Indian players, they had to choose between Rahane, Venkatesh and Rinku Singh.
KKR will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL season-opener at the Eden Gardens on March 22.