Kolkata Knight Riders is all set for another Indian Premier League (IPL) season. After a setback in the previous campaign, the multi-time IPL-winning side is eyeing a redemption in IPL 2026. For which, they have built a strong squad on paper. They bought Cameron Green and Matheesha Pathirana from the IPL 2026 auction against a big chunk of the amount. 

But who will be in charge to lead the team? Before the auction, there was a lot of speculation about Sanju Samson and KL Rahul's future in the league. There were strong beliefs that both of the players were linked with KKR. Samson joined Chennai Super Kings, and Rahul stayed at Delhi Capitals ahead of the new IPL season. 

A video of KKR CEO, Venky Mysore, is surfacing on social media platforms. There, he mentioned Ajinkya Rahane's contribution as the leader of the team. 

• Read More: Watch: Venky Mysore reveals KKR captain name for IPL 2026 season

"Pathirana, Mustafizur (Rahman), Harshit Rana, Akash Deep, Vaibhav (Arora), and Umran Malik. Then you add Sunil (Narine), Varun (Chakravarthy), and Cameron Green. That's a strong bowling attack, I can say that for sure. Batting also is Ajinkya Rahane as the captain."

Venky Mysore has revealed KKR’s captain for IPL 2026 🚨

— In an interview on Star Sports, he said that Ajinkya Rahane will be the captain of our 2026 squad.pic.twitter.com/BBrorCAsgR

— KKR Karavan (@KkrKaravan) December 18, 2025

KKR IPL 2026 full squad:

Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Matheesha Pathirana, Tejasvi Singh, Kartik Tyagi, Prashant Solanki, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Mustafizur Rahman, Sarthak Ranjan, Daksh Kamra, Rachin Ravindra, and Akash Deep.

Players bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the IPL 2026 auction: Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Matheesha Pathirana, Tejasvi Singh, Kartik Tyagi, Prashant Solanki, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Mustafizur Rahman, Sarthak Ranjan, Daksh Kamra, Rachin Ravindra, and Akash Deep.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Mumbai Indians (MI) fans can take a breath of relief as their respective key players have performed well in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT 2025) tournament. With the confident batting from Ajinkya Rahane and Suryakumar Yadav, Mumbai got an easy win over Railways on November 26 at Ekana Cricket Stadium B Ground. 

Mumbai went to play the match against Railways with their full force. Batters of the Railways cricket team tried their best to score a good amount of runs to challenge the star-studded opposition. Ashutosh Sharma played for Railways and played an attacking 30-ball, 61-run innings. His innings was laced with seven boundaries and three over-boundaries. Mohammad Saif was another Railways batter who performed strongly against Mumbai's bowling attack, which contained well-known names like Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande, and Shivam Dube. Thakur was absolutely on fire with the new ball in hand. 

Mumbai got two wickets early in the match, but Railways endured the early blows and registered 158 for India in 20 overs mostly because of Sharma's 61 and Saif's 48-run innings. 

Read More: List of India's biggest loss in Test Cricket by run margin

Confident batting by Ajinkya Rahane and Suryakumar Yadav ahead of IPL 2025

The 159-run target was not hard enough for Mumbai to chase down. With limited quality bowling options, Railways could barely set any hurdle in front of Mumbai's strong batting line-up. Ayush Mhatre's early departure was soon covered up nicely by Rahane and then Yadav. Ajinkya Rahane, who will play IPL 2026 for Kolkata Knight Riders, scored 62 off 33. Interestingly, he hit five over boundaries and only one boundary to make the knock effective. Yadav joined him in the middle with some extra fireworks. The Mumbai Indians star got 47 off 30 with five 4s and two 6s. MI fans are definitely happy to see their star middle-order batter gaining momentum ahead of IPL 2026, as his recent individual performances with Team India were below average. 

In 15.5 overs, Mumbai defeated Railways in the SMAT 2025 today with 7 wickets in hand. Rahane was named Man of the Match for his batting performance. 

Star Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, who joined Chennai Super Kings in a trade deal from Rajasthan Royals on Saturday, November 15, will not captain the Chennai-based franchise in IPL 2026. The five-time champions posted on X on Saturday evening, after the retentions were announced, to confirm that 28-year-old Indian batter Ruturaj Gaikwad will be the captain for the upcoming season.

But if we look at history, Sanju is not the only one. Two more players once captained the Rajasthan Royals and later played for the Yellow Army. This article shares all the details about this.

Also Read -Shubman Gill Ruled Out of 1st IND-SA Test After Suffering Neck Injury

Shane Watson: The First RR Captain to Play for CSK

Shane Watson was the first Rajasthan Royals captain to play for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. He joined the Chennai team in the IPL 2018 mega auction and played 43 matches for them from 2018 to 2020. In those 43 matches, Watson scored 1252 runs and took six wickets for CSK.

Watson was part of RR from 2008 to 2019. He played 78 matches for them, scored 2372 runs, and dismissed 61 batters. (Picture Credit: AFP)

He led RR in 21 IPL matches but managed to win only seven.

Ajinkya Rahane: Another RR Captain to Join CSK

Ajinkya Rahane captained the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2018 and 2019. Under his leadership, RR played 24 matches and won only nine.

Rahane played 100 IPL matches for RR and scored 2810 runs. He is the second-highest run-scorer in RR’s IPL history. He joined CSK in the IPL 2023 auction and played 27 matches across the 2023 and 2024 seasons. In those games, he scored a total of 568 runs.

The pile of emotions finally came out. After playing a classy 159-run knock against Chhattisgarh on a rain-affected day in a Ranji Trophy 2025 round two match, Ajinkya Rahane alleged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of 'no communication.'

Rahane can still feel the pain for not being selected for India’s Test tour to Australia in the 2024-25 season, where India performed poorly. During a recent interview, the experienced batter said that players like him who have passion for the red ball cricket deserve a chance to play for India. The 37-year-old believed that age is not a factor in performing in the highest order of cricket as long as a player himself can show the intent and passion for the game.

After the 159-run innings, Rahane said, "After 34-35 players are old. Players are always looking to do well. Players are always looking to give their best. And if someone is really passionate about playing red ball cricket. I think selectors should look into it. Because they come and watch the game. Every time it’s not about the performance. It’s about the intent and the passion and how you play with the red ball." 

Read More: WATCH: Forgotten fast bowler to make comeback for CSK ? Video gone viral ahead of IPL 2026 auction

It was one of Rahane's most disheartening moments in his cricket career when he came to know the selectors did not choose him for the BGT series. 

Ajinkya Rahane alleged BCCI for poor communication

"In Australia, you see, Michael Hussey made his debut in his 30s. Still, he made runs. Experience matters in red ball cricket. I thought, personally, the Indian team needed me in Australia," he said. 

Recently, another star of India, Mohammed Shami, also made some explosive remarks on BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar. After taking 7 wickets for Bengal in a Ranji Trophy match against Uttarakhand, the pacer stated, "Let him say whatever he wants. You have seen how I bowled. It is all in front of your eyes." 

The former Indian captain, Ajinkya Rahane, has called for changes in the selection of the selectors for the country’s domestic cricket. He recently stepped down from the Mumbai leadership ahead of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season as Shardul Thakur got the responsibility.

Rahane demands the recently-retired Indian players to become selectors because of their known facts of the current state of the game. He suggested that this would help the players not to be scared of those entrusted to pick the best of them into the state teams.

See Also: [WATCH] Pat Cummins ignores Virat Kohli to pick his all-time AUS vs IND XI ahead of 2025 ODI series

“Players should not be scared of selectors. I want to talk about selectors, especially in domestic cricket. We should have selectors who have retired recently from playing top-flight cricket, those who have retired five-six years, seven-eight years ago. Because the way cricket is evolving, I think it’s very important that the mentality and mindset of the selectors match that and keep pace with the change.” Rahane expressed on his YouTube channel.

Ajinkya Rahane makes shocking statement on selectors appointment in India’s domestic cricket

Rahane made the comment with the recently retired Indian batter, Cheteshwar Pujara, who can’t apply for the job of selector till 2030, according to the current rules of the BCCI. The Saurashtra batter balanced his idea by stating that it shouldn’t mean that cricketers retired in the previous eras shouldn’t be considered at all.

“We don’t want to make decisions based on how cricket was played 20-30 years ago. With formats like T20 and the IPL, it’s important to understand the style of modern cricket players. I believe selectors should, wherever possible, be individuals from all states, and players should be on the ground playing with freedom, playing fearless cricket.” Rahane addressed in the video.

“In big states, this can be implemented because they have so many options. So, wherever possible, I do agree that it can be implemented, but that does mean that any past cricketer, who has got a great record and wants to be a selector now, should be deprived of the chance because he retired long back.” Cheteshwar Pujara added his view in the interaction.

Veteran Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane has shared his thoughts on Team India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav’s form ahead of the 2025 Asia Cup. He reflected on Suryakumar’s struggles during the home series against England earlier this year, where the skipper endured a poor run with the bat despite India clinching the series 4-1. Suryakumar made just 28 off of the five innings at a strike rate of 116.66, which raised alarm bells.

Rahane, on the other hand, pointed to Suryakumar’s incredible turnaround in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL). The Mumbai Indians star scored 717 runs in 16 innings, the most runs ever scored in a single IPL season by a non-opener. The Mumbai Indians player made 717 runs in 16 innings, the most by a non-opener in a single IPL season. His consistency was notable, crossing 25 runs in every outing, and he struck at an impressive 167.91 with five half-centuries to his name.

The former India Test skipper also pointed out that Suryakumar will be heading into the Asia Cup after recovering from a sports hernia surgery. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rahane remarked, "Didn't have a good series against England, but came back to form in IPL with five fifties and finished as the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament with a healthy strike rate. We all know Surya is a dangerous batter. In this format, he has done really well. But it will be interesting to see how he goes about his batting, especially after the surgery.”

Rahane on Surya’s role in Asia Cup

Rahane also praised Suryakumar’s leadership qualities, describing him as a proactive and successful captain. At the same time, he stressed that India’s success in the Asia Cup would heavily depend on the star batter’s runs. He said, “As a captain, he has been fantastic. He is a proactive captain and led the team really well in the past, but I feel, in this Asia Cup, his batting will be really important.”

watch the video here

See Also: Sanju Samson celebrates Onam with wife shares heartwarming moments ahead of 2025 Asia Cup

So far, Suryakumar has captained India in 22 T20Is, registering 17 wins with a remarkable win percentage of 77.27. He has yet to lose a bilateral T20I series as skipper and will look to continue that streak when India begins their Asia Cup campaign against the United Arab Emirates on September 10 in Dubai.

KKR are reportedly interested in bringing KL Rahul and could make him their captain, as they look to strengthen their squad after a tough 2025 season.

Rahul was the leading run-scorer for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. He is a multitasker who can contribute with the bat, behind the stumps, and also bring strong leadership skills. KKR, who need to fill key positions, especially after struggling to find a reliable wicketkeeper and leader last season, might see him as the perfect fit.

The Kolkata Knight Riders are the third most successful team in IPL history. However, despite being defending champions in 2025, they could not make it to the playoffs. They had several poor performances, including a failed chase of 112 against the Punjab Kings.

Also Read -Australia stars gain big in ICC ODI rankings update after home series against South Africa

KKR May Propose Player Trade or Cash Deal for KL Rahul

Reports suggest that KKR may propose a player trade or a big cash deal to Delhi Capitals to get KL Rahul. Since Shreyas Iyer left after KKR’s title-winning IPL 2024 season, the team has struggled with leadership. Ajinkya Rahane took over as captain in IPL 2025 and batted well, but his leadership did not help the team.

Adding to the uncertainty, Rahane also stepped down as captain of Mumbai in domestic cricket. KKR is unsure if he will be willing to lead the team next season.

🚨KL RAHUL TO KKR🚨

-Reports suggest that Kolkata Knight Riders is likely to propose a player trade or a significant cash offer to the Delhi Capitals in order to acquire KL Rahul.

- https://t.co/DCDJ0x8uwA pic.twitter.com/erzSzvYrU3

— KKR Vibe (@KnightsVibe) August 27, 2025

KL Rahul Could Lead KKR in IPL 2026

KKR is considering bringing KL Rahul, a seasoned IPL captain, who can add experience and stability to the team. Sanju Samson, who may leave Rajasthan Royals, is also linked with KKR.

The trade is not certain because the Delhi Capitals may not want to let go of one of their key players. KKR still needs to find a suitable trade package. Chennai Super Kings are also rumoured to be interested in Rahul for a leadership role, adding more competition.

If the trade happens, KL Rahul is likely to become KKR’s captain for IPL 2026. He would bring experience and help the team recover from recent struggles.

Venkatesh Iyer May Be Released for Trade

Venkatesh Iyer, bought for INR 23.75 Crores, may be released to make space for Rahul. KKR does not have enough money for an all-cash deal, but they could trade two players to Delhi Capitals in exchange for KL Rahul. For this deal, the Capitals must also be interested in the two KKR players.

Ajinkya Rahane's future in Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is under uncertainty, as the franchise is in search of a new captain for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) edition, media reports claim. The multi-time IPL trophy-winning side is reportedly interested in KL Rahul, who has leadership experiences and qualities.

Rahul can rescue KKR from multiple issues. Along with the captaincy role, the franchise faced trouble in their keeper-batter slot as both of their overseas players—Rahmatullah Gurbaz and Quinton De Kock—failed to impress. Gurbaz is young and undoubtedly talented; he's been with KKR multiple seasons but has yet to impress the team management. Another issue is that the team needs someone who can pull the crowd—a crowd puller. After the exit of Shreyas Iyer, KKR lacked the star power that Rahul can easily provide. The 33-year-old's ability to adapt to the situation and multitasking skills make him more precise.

Last season, the India international was in outstanding form with Delhi Capitals, scoring 539 runs in 13 matches at a standout average of 53.90. Needless to say, if KKR wants to trade Rahul from Delhi Capitals, then they have to spend multi-crore rupees. According to the latest media updates, KKR may propose a player trade or a big cash deal to Delhi Capitals in order to acquire Rahul.

Read More: 3 teams that can target Jordan Cox ahead of IPL 2026 mini auction ft. CSK

KKR to release Venkatesh Iyer?

To generate extra cash for a huge deal, KKR can release some of their big names. KKR bought Iyer from the mega auction for INR 23.75 Crore, making it a record-breaking price for the franchise.

Claims on social media platforms also suggested that by releasing Iyer, KKR can collect the required cash to accomplish KL Rahul's transfer from Delhi Capitals.In IPL 2025, Ajinkya Rahane as a batter performed well, but his captaincy lacked the much-needed flair on the field. 

The Indian team for the Asia cup 2025 was announced on August 19. A 15 member squad was announced by this BCCI’s selection committee. After the squad was selected, there were a lot of apprehensions at the end of fans who were not happy with Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal missing out. As and when the squad was selected former India cricketer Ajinkya Rahane has picked his 11 for the Asia cup 2025.

Rahane has opted Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma to be the openers in the playing 11. Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and Jitesh Sharma are placed in the middle order. He has gone for Axar Patel as another all rounding option. In the bowlers slot, he has picked Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav. Rahane was dicey while picking the last bowler and he has gone for two options, either Varun Chakravarthy or Harshit Rana.

See Also: “All of the UK has complained….”- Former Indian cricketer shares fun behind the scenes moments of India vs England series

Rahane’s playing 11 for Asia Cup: 

Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana. 

Rahane leaves Samson out of playing XI

It is worth noting that Rahane has missed out on the name of Sanju Samson. He hasn't picked the wicketkeeper batter in the playing 11, who has been part of T20 squad for over one year now. Samson has scored twin centuries while batting at the top of the order. For the unversed, the Asia cup will begin on September 9 and India are placed in the group A alongside Pakistan UAE and Hong Kong.

The former Indian captain, Ajinkya Rahane, has decided to make a massive decision for Mumbai in the domestic cricket ahead of the Ranji Trophy 2025/26 season. The 37-year-old has used his social media platform to announce his decision to step down from the captaincy of the domestic team. He led them in the last few seasons but has now made way for the youngsters to come forward.

Ajinkya Rahane has overall smashed 14000 runs in 340 innings of first-class cricket at an average of 45.16 and a strike rate of 53.21 with the help of 41 centuries and 59 half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 265 runs. In Test cricket, the right-handed batter grabbed 5077 runs in 144 innings at an average of 38.46 with 12 centuries and 26 fifties.

See Also: [WATCH] Mohammed Amir creates new T20 record during ongoing CPL 2025

“Captaining and winning championships with the Mumbai team has been an absolute honour. With a new domestic season ahead, I believe it’s the right time to groom a new leader, and hence I’ve decided not to continue in the captaincy role. I remain fully committed to giving my best as a player and will continue my journey with Mumbai to help us win more trophies. Looking forward to the season.” Rahane expressed on socials.

Ajinkya Rahane steps down from captaincy for Mumbai in Ranji Trophy 2025/26

Rahane’s last international red-ball fixture came in July 2023 against the West Indies at the Port of Spain. He featured in the WTC 2023 final against Australia at the Kennington Oval in South London. His last FC encounter, however, came in February this year against Vidarbha.

Captaining and winning championships with the Mumbai team has been an absolute honour.

With a new domestic season ahead, I believe it’s the right time to groom a new leader, and hence I’ve decided not to continue in the captaincy role.

I remain fully committed to giving my best…

— Ajinkya Rahane (@ajinkyarahane88) August 21, 2025

“I still want to play Test cricket. I'm passionate about playing Test cricket. I'm enjoying my cricket at the moment. I'm here just for a few days. I carried my trainers and my training clothes so that I can keep myself fit. Our domestic season is starting, so preparations have just begun.” Rahane expressed his wish in London during the Lord’s England vs India Test match.

However, with the young brigade taking on the batting department under captain Shubman Gill and them drawing the Test series 2-2 in England recently, the international door of comeback is slowly closing for the right-handed batter.