The Los Angeles Knight Riders have officially appointed Jason Holder as captain for the 2025 Major League Cricket (MLC) season. The franchise made the announcement on social media, looking forward to the veteran West Indian all-rounder leading the charge.

Holder, who has a history of captaining the West Indies across all three formats, brings with him a load of international experience and stoic leadership to LAKR. But he will not be available for the franchise's first two games of the season owing to international obligations. Meanwhile, fellow West Indies hero Sunil Narine will serve as stand-in captain during Holder's absence for the initial matches.

Narine, a seasoned T20 campaigner and a familiar face in the Knight Riders setup, will lead LAKR in their first two matches, ensuring continuity and leadership stability at the start of the campaign. Known for his tactical acumen and vast franchise cricket experience, Narine is expected to guide the team with confidence until Holder's arrival.

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Leadership duties split between Caribbean stars as LAKR eye strong MLC 2025 start

Jason Holder is set to report to the LAKR team prior to their third match, which is on June 17th versus Washington Freedom. His timing is important, as LAKR will be hoping to gain early momentum in what is turning out to be a competitive MLC season.

The Knight Riders franchise, with teams in various leagues around the world, such as the IPL and CPL, is traditionally known for supporting veteran international captains. Holder, leading the team, will look to enhance previous performances and fight for a playoff position in MLC 2025. The fans of the franchise will be waiting with bated breath for Holder's captaincy debut next month, while hoping that Narine gets the side off to a good start.

Squad of LAKR: Sunil Narine, Alex Hales, Said Badar, Nitish Kumar, Rovman Powell, Unmukt Chand, Andre Fletcher, Sherfane Rutherford, Adithiya Ganesh, Jason Holder(C), Corne Dry, Anrich Nortje, Ali Khan, Tanveer Sangha, Andre Russell, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Karthik Gattepalli, Matthew Tromp