Ajinkya Rahane faces redundancy threat as KKR warned of 'biggest' conflict: 'Will you tell Sunil Narine not to...?'
Last week, Ajinkya Rahane was named KKR's captain for IPL 2025
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have been warned of a major conflict during IPL 2025 after the franchise named veteran India batter Ajinkya Rahane their captain for the impending season. The decision was announced last week when KKR CEO Venky Mysore explained that Rahane's vast experience and "maturity" in handling an "intense" tournament like IPL made him the automatic choice to lead the team.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo with less than a week left before the start of the 18th edition of the league, former KKR batter Aakash Chopra outlined that Rahane will be troubled by 'captain-batter' conflict throughout the season, which could affect KKR. He admitted while he understood the reason behind KKR naming Rahane the skipper, Chopra felt Rahane's only way to contribute to the team would be if he batted in the top order.
"For Shreyas Iyer, they've got a domestic middle-order batter, who recently helped his side win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He is in good form. But I do understand because KKR's biggest challenge this season is the 'captain-batter' conflict that Rahane will face. For Rahane the batter, the best thing to do is open at Eden Gardens. Or else, bat at No. 3. Anything lower kills his chance to contribute significantly because he needs the powerplay," he said.
When further asked if Rahane would become redundant if he didn't get a good start, the former India opener explained the conflict that KKR would face. He outlined that with Sunil Narine having impressed as an opener last season, he will likely retain the batting role alongside wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock in the lineup. While Venkatesh Iyer, vice-captain, should have "ideally" batted at No. 3, Chopra said Rahane has to take up that position or else he will find it difficult to contribute to the scoreboard.
"That is the conflict. Sunil Narine will open and he will open with Quinton de Kock if he is in the team. Now will they tell Narine not to open after the runs he scored last season? Of course, he will open. So, No. 3, which is ideally the position for Venkatesh Iyer, is the best you can do for Rahane. Or else he will have to forgo his own ambitions as a batter," he added.
Rahane as captain, a good call?
India legend Harbhajan Singh agreed with Chopra, saying that No. 3 will be the best position for Rahane. However, he reckoned that if KKR found it difficult to squeeze the former India captain into the top order, the franchise would have been better off naming Narine or Iyer as the skipper for IPL 2025.
"Rahane's best chance is at No. 3, because the openers are fixed. If KKR have picked Rahane only for captaincy, then I feel that could have been done by someone else like Narine, Iyer or Russell," he added.
