Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer has stated that he is prepared to lead the team in IPL 2025, despite having no previous captaincy experience.
Kolkata Knight Riders rode on Venkatesh Iyer's explosive 60 off 29 balls to crush a hapless Sunrisers Hyderabad by 80 runs to register their second win of IPL 2025 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday.
Arora took full advantage of Hyderabad's aggression and collected the wickets of Travis Head, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen at the expense of 29 runs from his four overs as the visitors folded for 120.
If Punjab goes for a flat deck, there is no guarantee that the bowling unit can defend anything in the 220 range, especially when KKR have the likes of Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, and Venkatesh Iyer in their ranks.
'I have always played wherever the team wanted me to play. Team thinking has always come first.'
For the home side, it has been a season of mixed returns so far. After early defeats to Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians, KKR roared back to form in their last outing -- a commanding win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.
'It's not easy when you win a championship and, you know, come into the next season, defending the championship, it's not that easy. As a team, we tried our best. What I can say is, we'll come back really stronger next year.'
Kamindu Mendis bowled both left-arm spin and right-arm off-spin in the same over, delighting the crowd with his versatility.
The common theme in their opening game defeats was how the seemingly powerful batting and bowling units of KKR and RR failed to fire.
The common theme in those defeats was how the seemingly powerful batting and bowling units of KKR and RR failed to fire.
Kolkata Knight Riders have named left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya as a replacement for speedster Umran Malik ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season.
Riding high on their new-found confidence, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will be hoping to finally get it right at home and keep their play-off hopes alive when they take on a struggling Rajasthan Royals in their IPL match in Kolkata on Sunday.
Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad find themselves in troubled waters, having lost two of their last three games
Mysore went on to affirm that Iyer would continue to be a part of the leadership group and could grow as a potential captain in the future.
Having got off to a start so typical of themselves in the Indian Premier League, Mumbai Indians will hope for a quick turnaround when they take on defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai on Monday.
'He brings immense value to the team - not just in terms of tactics, but also in terms of creating a winning culture.'
Here's a look at the biggest disappointments of IPL 2025 -- the players who've cost crores but delivered crumbs.
Gujarat Titans handed defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders an emphatic 39-run loss in the IPL 2025 match in Kolkata on Monday.
Mohammed Shami rarely operated at his best and it had a cascading effect on Bengal as they went down by 41 runs against Baroda in the quarterfinals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
Yuzvendra Chahal led a stunning comeback for Punjab Kings with 4/28 as they defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 16 runs in their low-scoring Indian Premier League thriller on Tuesday.
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane shed light on one moment in the first innings that completely changed the "momentum" against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening match of Indian Premier League 2025.
RCB's success so far in IPL 2025 hasn't just rested on Kohli and Hazlewood.
Despite the leadership changes, KKR have retained key players, including Venkatesh Iyer, who has been re-signed at a huge price of Rs 23.75-crore and named the team's vice-captain.
IPL 2025 recap: From Kohli and RCB conquering final frontier to decline of champions
Patidar made a bright beginning to his stint as RCB captain, leading his side to a seven-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening game of the IPL 2025 in Kolkata on Saturday.
Mumbai Indians bowled out Kolkata Knight Riders for a paltry 116 runs in their latest IPL encounter, winning the match by eight wickets.
A struggling Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be aiming to break their losing streak when they face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in a crucial Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday. CSK are currently ninth in the standings with one win and four losses, while KKR are in sixth position with two wins and three defeats. The home team will be hoping to turn around their fortunes at Chepauk, which has not been as advantageous this season as it has been in the past. CSK will need to adapt to the changed conditions and rely on their spinners to perform well at a venue where they have traditionally dominated. Meanwhile, KKR will be looking to bounce back from a narrow loss to the Lucknow Super Giants and secure a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Shreyas Iyer had led KKR to their first IPL title in a decade last year. However, on Saturday, he returns as captain of a rejuvenated Punjab Kings chasing a play-off spot.
Narine stars as KKR keep playoff hopes alive with 14-run win over DC
'If one can be brutally honest, he is part of this set-up more because of his reputation.'
Champions Kolkata Knight Riders look like the most complete squad heading into IPL 2025.
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have begun their pre-season preparations with a week-long domestic players' training stint in Mumbai, ahead of their main camp in Kolkata starting March 12 at Eden Gardens. The Mumbai camp, running from February 21-28, features nine domestic players, including Venkatesh Iyer, who was re-signed by KKR for a staggering Rs 23.75 crore after being released, making him the third most expensive player in the IPL auction.
Dwayne Bravo, the new mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders, has stated that he will incorporate elements from former KKR strategist Gautam Gambhir's successful blueprint with his own distinct approach for the upcoming IPL season. Bravo, who replaced Gambhir after his departure to become the head coach of the Indian team, acknowledges the importance of building on KKR's previous success while also bringing his own style to the role.
Krunal Pandya, Josh Hazlewood, and Sunil Narine emerged as rare bright spots-combining discipline, guile, and experience
It was a track where batters made merry after LSG put on 238 for 3 before KKR fell just four runs short as over 400 runs were scored.
T20 cricket is largely about explosive batting, but Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Dwayne Bravo reminded his batters on Wednesday that staying aggressive all the time is "not cricket" if the basics are ignored.
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Kolkata win third IPL title after bowlers rout Hyderabad