Sports
IPL 2025: Ajinkya Rahane Takes Helm as KKR Captain, Venkatesh Iyer Named Vice-Captain
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the reigning champions, have appointed experienced Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane as their new captain for the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Additionally, all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer has been designated as the vice-captain.
As the senior-most player in the KKR squad, Rahane takes over the captaincy from Shreyas Iyer, who led the team to victory in IPL 2024 held in Chennai. However, Iyer has not been retained and will now captain the Punjab Kings for the upcoming season.
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“I am honored to lead KKR, one of the most successful franchises in IPL history. We have a strong and balanced team, and I am excited to collaborate with everyone as we take on the challenge of defending our title,” Rahane stated in a release from the franchise on Monday.
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Rahane has previous experience leading teams in the IPL, having captained the Rajasthan Royals to the playoffs in 2018 and the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant. With his addition to KKR, it became likely that he would take up the captaincy, although names like Iyer, the franchise’s most expensive buy at ₹23.75 crore, and Rinku Singh were also considered as potential leaders.
This past domestic season, Rahane captained Mumbai to victory in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he was the tournament’s top run-scorer with 469 runs in nine matches, including five half-centuries, earning him the Player of the Tournament award.
“We are thrilled to have Ajinkya Rahane on board, as he brings invaluable experience and leadership qualities. Venkatesh Iyer has also been a vital player for KKR and possesses significant leadership attributes. We believe they will work well together as we embark on our title defense,” stated Venky Mysore, CEO of KKR.
KKR will kick off their IPL 2025 season against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens on March 22. They recently held a training camp for their nine Indian players in Mumbai and will conduct a pre-season camp in Kolkata starting March 12.
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Dubai: Pakistan has placed three conditions before the International Cricket Council (ICC) to agree to play against India in the T20 World Cup.
Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) planned to boycott the match scheduled on February 15 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The ICC warned Pakistan about possible consequences after this decision.
Now, PCB is willing to consider playing the match but has made key demands. It has asked the ICC to increase compensation for Bangladesh, pay participation fees even if Bangladesh is left out of the tournament, and grant Bangladesh hosting rights for a future ICC event.
Some PCB officials support playing against India, but PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi has not agreed yet. He is expected to meet Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday before making a final decision.
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So far, PCB has not officially confirmed whether Pakistan will play the match.
Colombo: The T20 World Cup began today with an exciting match between Pakistan and the Netherlands. Pakistan secured a narrow three-wicket victory despite a strong bowling performance. However, the top-order batters failed to deliver. With this win, Pakistan made a positive start to the 10th edition of the tournament.
After losing the toss, the Netherlands batted first at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo. The team was bowled out for 147 runs in 19.5 overs. Pakistan chased the modest target and scored 148 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 19.3 overs.
Pakistan started aggressively, but the Netherlands slowed their progress. Pakistan lost four wickets for 98 runs. Soon, they were in trouble at 114 for seven. Faheem Ashraf played a crucial role at the end and guided the team to victory.
For Pakistan, Sahibzada Farhan scored 47 runs, while Saim Ayub added 24 runs. Faheem Ashraf contributed an important 29 runs. The rest of the batters failed to score big. Star batter Babar Azam disappointed fans by scoring only 15 runs off 18 balls.
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Earlier, Netherlands captain Scott Edwards scored 37 runs. Bas de Leede made 30 runs, Colin Ackermann added 20, and Michael Levitt scored 24 runs. The remaining batters were dismissed for low scores.
Sports: India defeated England by 100 runs to win the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 final at the Harare Sports Club. The victory marked India’s sixth title, making them the most successful team in the tournament’s history.
India batted first and posted a massive total of 411 for 9 in 50 overs. The innings was powered by 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who smashed a record-breaking 175 runs off just 80 balls. His knock included 15 fours and 15 sixes and became the highest individual score ever in an Under-19 World Cup final.
Suryavanshi also shared a crucial 142-run partnership with captain Ayush Mhatre, who scored 53 runs. Their strong batting display helped India set a daunting target of 412 for England.
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England tried to fight back in the chase, with Caleb Falconer scoring 115 and Ben Dawkins adding 66. However, the team was eventually bowled out for 311, handing India a comfortable victory.
Suryavanshi was named Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament for his historic performance. The triumph once again highlighted India’s dominance in youth cricket on the global stage.
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