IPL 2025 KKR Impact Players: Four Kolkata Knight Riders Players to Keep an Eye On

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Kolkata Knight Riders will be gearing up for their title defence as the IPL 2025 is barely a week away from its inception.

KKR registered their third title last season and hopes are high for the Knights as they take the field on the opening day in Kolkata against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Despite losing their captain from last season Shreyas Iyer, KKR managed to keep their core in the mega auction. Along with that, they have made a few very decent inclusions for the upcoming cycle of the IPL.

There is no shortage of talent in the KKR camp but the defending champions will be hoping to settle with a prominent playing eleven from the start. With the Impact Player rule, it may be an additional opportunity for others to make an impression and push for themselves in the first team.

In this article, we shall take a look at four players who may play the Impact Player role with distinction for the Knight Riders.

Manish Pandey

Manish Pandey, the veteran India batter, was signed again by KKR in IPL 2025 auction. His vast experience in the competition and hard-hitting ability make Pandey an important part of the team, but his role may be limited as an Impact Player. If KKR needs a batter, he can fill the role perfectly for them. A key member of KKR's IPL 2014 winning team, the former India player will be aiming to play his part in the campaign.

Interestingly, Pandey was part of KKR's squad in 2024 as well. He played a few matches and his notable contribution was a batting display against Mumbai Indians, as an Impact Player.

Anukul Roy

Anukul Roy, another old member of the KKR contingent, will be perfect for the Impact role. He has been used as an Impact option in the past and the Jharkhand player is likely to find himself in the four-man list during the course of the season. With his left-arm spin and handy batting down the order, Anukul's multifaceted services makes him a key cog on the bench.

Mayank Markande

Mayank Markande, a leg spinner with IPL pedigree, was a decent pick for KKR in the auction. The bowler may not be guaranteed a spot in the playing XI, but will be used as an Impact Player, particularly in spin-friendly conditions. The 27-year-old has played 37 IPL matches and has 48 wickets, and played a decent part for Sunrisers Hyderabad most recently in the competition.

Angkrish Raghuvanshi

Mumbai's Angkrish Raghuvanshi had a fantastic maiden IPL season with KKR last year, where he won the trophy itself. The 19-year-old bodes huge potential and that was in display in IPL 2024, where he scored 163 runs at a strike rate of over 155. The exciting batter is not coming into the IPL with massive form, and his chances may be limited this year in the first team. But Raghuvanshi is likely to be introduced as an Impact Player throughout the season and he can play that role with distinction.

KKR Squad for IPL 2025

Ajinkya Rahane (C), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Anrich Nortje, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markande, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Spencer Johnson, Luvnith Sisodia, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, Umran Malik