 "Pacer Vaibhav Arora has been retained by KKR after a breakthrough run in their title-winning 2024 season. PTI")
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) face a massive challenge in IPL 2025 as they look to defend their title. With Shreyas Iyer departing before the auctions in November last year, Ajinkya Rahane has been appointed as the new captain to lead the franchise. KKR will play the opening game of the upcoming edition against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on 22 March.
Unlike the previous year, there are several new faces in the KKR camp with Dwayne Bravo replacing Gautam Gambhir as the mentor. Quinton de Kock, Anrich Nortje, Mayank Markande, and Rovman Powell are some of the new players who have joined the franchise for the 2025 season. KKR have also lost some of their key players including the likes of Mitchell Starc and Phil Salt, who have joined Delhi Capitals and RCB respectively.
In the IPL 2025 auction, KKR made their biggest investment by re-signing Venkatesh Iyer for a whopping Rs 23.75 crore. Despite not retaining him ahead of the auction, the franchise went all out to bring him back into the squad.
Kolkata Knight Riders squad for IPL 2025
Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Anrich Nortje, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markande, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Spencer Johnson, Luvnith Sisodia, Ajinkya Rahane, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, Chetan Sakariya.
Kolkata Knight Riders schedule for IPL 2025
Saturday, 22 March, 7:30 PM: vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Kolkata
Wednesday, 26 March, 7:30 PM: vs Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati
Monday, 31 March, 7:30 PM: vs Mumbai Indians in Mumbai
Thursday, 3 April, 7:30 PM: vs Sunrisers Hyderabad in Kolkata
Tuesday, 8 April, 3:30 PM: vs Lucknow Super Giants in Kolkata
Friday, 11 April, 7:30 PM: vs Chennai Super Kings in Chennai
Tuesday, 15 April, 7:30 PM: vs Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh
Tuesday, 21 April, 7:30 PM: vs Gujarat Titans in Kolkata
Saturday, 26 April, 7:30 PM: vs Punjab Kings in Kolkata
Tuesday, 29 April, 7:30 PM: vs Delhi Capitals in Delhi
Sunday, 4 May, 7:30 PM: vs Rajasthan Royals in Kolkata
Wednesday, 7 May, 7:30 PM: vs Chennai Super Kings in Kolkata
Saturday, 10 May, 3:30 PM: vs Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsSaturday, 17 May, 7:30 PM: vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Bengaluru.
Note: KKR’s home game against LSG was rescheduled from 6 to 8 April on Friday, 28 March.
How Kolkata Knight Riders had fared in the previous IPL season
Kolkata Knight Riders clinched the IPL 2024 title, defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final to secure their third championship. Under captain Shreyas Iyer, KKR had an impressive campaign, winning nine of their 14 matches, with two ending without a result.
Sunil Narine emerged as the team’s leading run-scorer, amassing 488 runs while opening the batting, while Varun Chakravarthy was the top wicket-taker with 21 scalps. The season also marked the return of Gautam Gambhir as mentor, and his influence played a key role in ending KKR’s title drought. Gambhir has since left the side to coach the Indian cricket team.