Follow UsMadhya Pradesh all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer was the front-runner for the Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) captaincy. However, at the last minute, KKR appointed the experienced Ajinkya Rahane as their skipper, which shocked the fans.
In the aftermath of that incident, KKR’s CEO Venky Mysore revealed why the three-time IPL winners turned to Rahane for the leadership role.
"IPL is quite an intense tournament," Mysore told ESPNcricinfo.
"Clearly, we think very well of Venkatesh Iyer, but at the same time it [captaincy] is taxing on a youngster. We have seen lots of people having lots of challenges with it [handling captaincy] as they go forward. It takes a very steady hand, takes a lot of maturity and experience, which we felt Ajinkya brings with him,” he added.
Mysore also explained why it wasn’t a tough decision, given Ajinkya Rahane’s impressive CV as a leader.
"He has played 185 IPL games, 200 international games across formats," Mysore said. "He has led India, led Mumbai in domestic, he's led in IPL. And he has played from season one of IPL. All that is massive. There should be no surprise at all [on appointing Rahane as captain].”
However, at the same time, KKR’s CEO insisted that Ajinkya will mentor and groom the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder to be the next skipper of the franchise.
"Knowing Ajinkya, he will take him [Venkatesh] under his wings and mentor him on the captaincy side of things. So, in a way, I expect they will be kind of joined at the hip and working very closely together."
"We have been very, very impressed with the leadership qualities that he has shown," Mysore said. "He's a franchise player and what he has shown in terms of how he participates, and the respect that others have around him, and the energy he brings [to the dressing room], so he definitely has got massive potential. So, he's one for the future for us for sure. He clearly is captaincy material."
