IPL Retention 2025: Shreyas Iyer Set to Leave Kolkata Knight Riders, Who Will Be New Captain?

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IPL Retention 2025: After a spectacular season in IPL 2024, Kolkata Knight Riders became the champion by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in a one-sided final. However, the mega-auction for IPL 2025 is knocking on the door and all the franchises are going to announce their retention list very soon.

Despite being the most balanced squad in the last IPL, maintaining the same equilibrium could be difficult for the Knights. KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir already left his post to coach the Indian national team.

Now, many reports are suggesting that the winning captain, Shreyas Iyer, does not want to continue for the Knights in the upcoming IPL. The stance of the franchise is still not clear on this matter, as there are contradictory reports on whether Knight Riders wants to retain him or not.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Why Shreyas Iyer Wants to Leave KKR?

Some reports are suggesting that the three-time champions want to keep Iyer but the batter is looking for better offers from other franchises. Resonating with these reports, there is news that some franchises are looking for players with captaincy roles and Iyer would be a perfect candidate for them, as he has the experience of winning the trophy, which very few captains had done in the past.

There are also rumours that both Andre Russel and Iyer want to be the first retention choice which comes with a fee of ₹18 Cr. and KKR is willing to give the spot to the Caribbean all-rounder as he had been pivotal for the Knights for a long period.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Who Will Be The Next KKR Captain if Iyer Leaves?

If the right-handed batter chooses to part with the defending champions, in that case, KKR will have limited options from their current team to select the next captain. Here are the players who could be seen to lead KKR in IPL 2025:

1. Rinku Singh: The 27-year-old left-handed batter has been a pillar for the Knight middle order for the last couple of years. With his explosive batting ability, he is becoming more popular among Indian cricket fans day by day. KKR always lacked a star Indian captain after Sourav Ganguly, who had a massive fanbase; Rinku can change that trend.
2. Sunil Narine: The legendary Caribbean mystery spinner, who also came in handy as a destructive opening batter, has been pivotal for all the glories the Knights have ever achieved.
   After playing for more than a decade, the Knights remained equally lethal for the opponents. The Caribbean all-rounder has some experience in captaincy, as he led the Los Angeles Knight Riders in MLC 2023. However, leading a team like KKR in IPL will be a completely different game, but his profound experiences in T20 cricket and composed nature could be helpful for the Knights.
3. Nitish Rana: The 30-year-old left-handed batter already has the experience to lead KKR in IPL. In IPL 2023, Rana led the Knights as Iyer ruled out for the season due to an injury. Last year he was selected as the vice-captain but missed most of the tournament due to injury.
   There are reports that a section within the Knight management wants Rana as captain over Iyer. But the middle-order batter won't be a choice in their retention list. In that scenario, it will be interesting to watch what retention strategy the franchise makes to accommodate Rana in their squad.