All-rounder Venkatesh Iyer says he is prepared to lead Kolkata Knight Riders if given the opportunity in the IPL 2025 despite having no captaincy experience at any level in competitive cricket.
The reigning champions, who will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening game this season at the Eden Gardens, are yet to announce their captain.
Shreyas Iyer had led them to the title win in IPL 2024, but he was acquired by Punjab Kings in the mega auction and later named him as their skipper.
“Definitely, I'm ready. Again, I've always said this: captaincy is just a tag. I believe in leadership. That is a bigger role to play, being a leader,” Venkatesh told ESPNcricinfo.
“There's no ambiguity surrounding this. I'll definitely do it, if it comes my way. There is no reason not to do it,” he added.
‘Captain needs to set example’
Iyer said the captain needs to “set an example” by being a “good role model".
"You don't necessarily need the tag of a captain to be a leader in your dressing room. You need to set examples. You need to be a good role model, both on and off the field, which I am doing right now in Madhya Pradesh.
{{/usCountry}}"You don't necessarily need the tag of a captain to be a leader in your dressing room. You need to set examples. You need to be a good role model, both on and off the field, which I am doing right now in Madhya Pradesh.
{{/usCountry}}“I'm not the captain of the MP team, but my opinions are respected and I really love to be in an atmosphere where every individual — new or experienced, ₹20 lakh, ₹20 crore, whatever — you just need to have the freedom to voice your opinion.
“You just need to have the freedom to give opinions and give suggestions and them to be taken in the right spirit,” he added.
Venkatesh, who joined the KKR in 2021, was released ahead of last year’s auction but was bought back for a hefty ₹23.75 crore after an intense tussle with RCB.
Overall, the left-hander has scored 1,326 runs in 51 IPL matches, all for the Knight Riders.