Friday, 25 April 2025
Friday, 25 April 2025
In 2024, the Kolkata Knight Riders captured the imagination of cricketing fans as they lifted their third Indian Premier League title. Their campaign was one of the most dominant IPL runs ever, and their captain Shreyas Iyer and mentor Gautam Gambhir were essential cogs in the wheel that churned out an entertaining brand of cricket.
This time around, things are different.
While KKR have retained some core players — such as Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Rinku Singh — veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane returns as captain to the hallowed Eden Gardens for another season in the purple kit.
My Kolkata asked six hardcore KKR fans how they rate the team’s chances this year, and what their opinion is on Rahane the captain. Here’s what they had to say…
Aikansh Agarwal is a Virat Kohli fan at his very core. The only time he’s not bleeding purple is when King Kohli is batting against KKR. Having watched five home games last year at Eden Gardens, Aikansh said, “If I’m to be honest and fair, it won't be fun if KKR wins over and over again. But it seems that now that they have kind of followed CSK's strategy of retaining core players as well as getting new ones, I am pretty excited about this season. But yeah, it would be lovely if we could see Shreyas Iyer again and I also miss Nitish Rana in the squad.
Speaking about the new skipper, he said, “For Rahane, I would say like peaking into his form, it's a smart choice to be very honest. And last year when he went unsold in the auctions and later on Chennai bought him for his base price, he proved to be a great hitter. So yeah, I'm quite excited about his stint as a batter. And as a captain, we have seen him captaining in Australia, he has got the right skills and temperament for captaincy. So yeah, quite excited for that.”
A huge SRK fan who watches every KKR game and has been to Eden Gardens to watch KKR hammer RCB in 2023, Sneha Roy, said, “I am extremely hopeful and happy to see Rahane back on the field for KKR. He is someone I have always found to be a responsible cricketer. But his form worries me because it has been a while since we’ve seen him playing at the highest level. It was also a very smart decision to make Venkatesh Iyer the vice captain.” Speaking about her expectations for the season she said, “I hope we will defend the title and even if not I really hope we make the finals because it's at Eden.”
An avid sports fanatic, Srinjoy Kumar Ghosh has been rooting for the Knights since the very first season. Looking at the captaincy announcement he said, “Ajinkya Rahane is the correct choice due to his experience. Venkatesh Iyer being vice captain can learn under him and be groomed for future captaincy. Similarly, Rinku Singh can also be groomed for a future leadership role.”
Speaking out his hopes and expectations from the franchise he said, “I'd love KKR to make the playoffs but it looks difficult based on the composition of our squad compared to the other teams. A very strong spin line-up as always but the pace department looks weak with Harshit expected to do the bulk of the work especially with Nortje possibly injured. A lot will depend on Quinton de Kock in the batting department. No consistently reliable Indian batter who can score quickly. We have to hope that Angkrish, Venky and Rinku can bat around Rahane in the middle to keep the run rate high before Russell comes in to provide the final flourish.”
Keeping it real he said, “5-6th is my prediction... Just about missing out on the playoffs, probably on NRR.”
Abhinabha Paul is a die-hard KKR fan who often pens his thoughts on the team’s performance. The 18-year-old said, “Yeah KKR's win last year as a fan was definitely heart warming and this year the team is very good and capable of winning this too but I miss the previous year's team. The new squad looks good and balanced after getting Moeen Ali as another all-rounder after Russell and Narine. Looking at the form of Spencer Johnson and Varun Chakravarthy in the ongoing Champions Trophy, my hopes are getting higher and more alive about this year's IPL.” Adding a thought on KKR’s new leader, he said, “Rahane is definitely one of the more experienced and quality players of the team and after seeing him playing aggressively for CSK last season, I’m really looking forward to him as a captain and hoping for the best.”
Ishita Harlalka also gave her inputs and shared her excitement for the season ahead saying, “I’m so very excited about the new team that KKR has this time and especially the retention of their core team that they have done with the power hitters and the spin bowlers. Hopefully, it'll be very exciting to watch them play and also with Rahane as their captain, hopefully the winning streak of last year can also continue this time.”
Pavit Singh Chandhok watched five of KKR’s seven home games at the stadium last year. Pavit said, “KKR’s title-winning campaign was one of the most dominant campaigns in IPL history. Although not having the same captain may affect the team, retaining the same core of players will help KKR continue with the same mindset. With Rahane being an experienced player who is now going to lead the squad, there will be a continuation of the same culture which can help KKR create the same dominance as last year and help in bringing the same results as last season.”
