Exploring possibilities: Ajinkya Rahane could be KKR's new captain, says 'There are stakeholders...'

The team made a significant investment to secure the services of all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, instantly catapulting him to the top of the list of potential candidates for the leadership role. In addition to Iyer, they also acquired experienced captains in Ajinkya Rahane, Rovman Powell, and Moeen Ali, further bolstering their leadership options with proven track records in international cricket.

Rahane is the former Test vice-captain for India, famously leading them to victory in the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. He is also captain of Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy and has won the domestic first-class tournament and the Irani Trophy in the past year. Powell is the captain of the West Indies T20 team while Moeen captained England in the shortest format before his international retirement.

“Well, you know that. To be honest, we have to sit down and take stock," said Mysore on Star Sports when asked if they are looking at Rahane as a captain. "Sometimes what happens is, after you've done all of these things, you just have to sit down, reflect, look at the whole thing. There are stakeholders and parts of the think tank won't be here. So we'll all sit down and have a proper chat about that, and I'm sure a proper decision will be made,” he said.

He scored just 133 runs in seven appearances that year at a lowly strike rate of 103.90. Rahane then seemed to have completely shifted his playing style when he moved to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) next season. He played a crucial role in their run to the title, smashing 326 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of a whopping 172.48.

Venkatesh emerged as a favourite to captain KKR after he was bought back by the side for a whopping INR 23.75 crore. The franchise let go of Shreyas Iyer who had led them to the title, with the batter being signed by Punjab Kings for INR 26.75 crore.

Venkatesh for his part said that he would accept the responsibility of captaining the team if it came to him. "I had the opportunity to captain the side in Nitish Rana’s absence when he was unfortunately injured, and I was the vice-captain as well," said Venkatesh after he was bought by KKR for the huge amount.

"I’ve always believed that captaincy is just a tag, but leadership is about creating an environment where everyone feels they can play for this team and contribute. If given the responsibility, I would be more than happy to take it on. Absolutely (I'm ready for it)."