Wealth of experience and maturity may have tilted the scales in favour of the 36-year-old India veteran, but the IPL can be a strange beast

A detailed SWOT analysis of what lies ahead for Kolkata Knight Riders in their quest of defending the IPL title. The Kolkata Knight Riders will begin their IPL 2025 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the tournament opener on March 22,

After getting picked by KKR in the mega auction for Rs 23.75 crore, India all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer was the front-runner for the captaincy of three-time IPL winners. However, KKR appointed Rahane as their skipper,

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) appointed Ajinkya Rahane as their captain for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, which is scheduled to start from March 22.

The defending Champions are set to face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening game of IPL 2025 on March 22.

WATCH - KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane offers worship ahead of title-defending IPL 2025 season (Source: KKR) The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are among the most successful IPL teams with three titles under their belt in the cash-rich league.