The IPL 2025 is here. This time all teams bear a fresh look with quite a couple of teams having a brand new captain. Royal Challengers Bengaluru face Kolkata Knight Riders in Eden Gardens within the IPL 2025 opener. Each teams have a brand new captain Rajat Patidar and Ajinkya Rahane. Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants all have recent captains. Ahead of the IPL 2025 opener, all of the 10 captains assembled in Mumbai.
All of the skippers gave their tackle the IPL 2025 with one-lines. Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer said: “You saw me lifting this in 2024 and in 2025, it is going to stick with me.” Iyer was the KKR captain in Il 2024 when it won the title.
“Five’s iconic nevertheless it’s not enough,” Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya.
“Experience is not sold out there, it’s earned,” KKR’s recent skipper Ajinkya Rahane said.
“Fear? I even have never experienced it,” Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant said.
captains, mindsets,
Each leader brings a singular strategy, but just one will win the #TATAIPL 2025 title pic.twitter.com/Y7yZOa1Dxr
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 21, 2025
Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Ajinkya Rahane expressed happiness on returning to the franchise and added that with everyone being on the “same page”, the title defence might be an important one for the franchise. The star-studded squad of the Kolkata Knight Riders were presented to their doting fans on the stage of the Knights Unplugged 2.0 event, held at Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan on Wednesday. This comes ahead of the IPL 2025, before the side’s highly-anticipated opening clash against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
A sea of over 5,000 passionate fans gathered in purple and gold to witness their cricketing heroes up close, igniting an environment of pleasure ahead of the brand new season. Adding to the spectacle, KKR’s three championship trophies were showcased, a testament to the team’s legacy.
The event also featured interactive activities, further immersing fans within the Knight Riders’ spirit as they equipped to rally behind their team for an additional thrilling campaign.
Among the key members of the squad present on the event, including captain Ajinkya Rahane, vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer, head coach Chandrakant Pandit, team mentor DJ Bravo, and CEO of KKR, Venky Mysore, shared their thoughts ahead of the brand new campaign.
Mysore, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) thanked the fans for his or her unconditional support: “It is basically an honour to be a part of this franchise. It gives me goosebumps to see the love and support we receive. I don’t think there’s one other city like Kolkata — when Eden Gardens fills with purple and gold, their chants for KKR and favourite players truly lift your complete team.”
Rahane, returning as captain, stated, “It’s great to be back with KKR and an honour to guide this glorious franchise with its wealthy history. We’ve got a excellent team this 12 months. For us, it’s about keeping it easy — we’ve been practicing very well and everyone seems to be on the identical page. It’s going to be an important season for us.”
In his IPL profession, Rahane represented KKR within the 2022 season, scoring 133 runs in seven matches at a mean of 19.00 with best rating of 44. Within the 2024 mega auction, KKR acquired the services of Rahane for Rs 1.5 crores. This got here after two solid seasons with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), scoring 568 runs in 23 innings at a mean of 25.82 and a strike rate of over 147, with two half-centuries. He won the title with Men in Yellow in 2023.
Vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer expressed, “It’s an honour to be called a key player for this franchise with such wealthy history and legacy. The franchise has shown tremendous trust in me and gave me the large break in my life. There’s a variety of gratitude, and it’s my duty to pay them back. I hope this journey continues for a really very long time.”
Head coach Chandrakant Pandit reflected: “This three-year journey has been really amazing. Winning the trophy has at all times been special. The title win last 12 months belongs not only to the players, but to your complete franchise — including those working behind the scenes, the owners, and particularly the fans whose support helps maintain our healthy atmosphere.”
Dwayne Bravo, joining as mentor, added: “We’re looking forward to this season, winning a lot of games, and hopefully defending our trophy. It’s an important honour to be a part of this setup. Knight Riders is hugely respected worldwide, and having captained Knight Riders in Trinidad, where we had great success, joining was a simple decision when the chance got here from Venky sir.”
The team also unveiled a set of merchandise for the fans on the event, including the retro black and gold jersey, inspired by the color utilized in the initial season.
With IANS inputs
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