Rinku Singh to lead KKR in IPL 2025? Defending champions pick surprise retention

IPL 2025: Shreyas Iyer was not retained by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the upcoming season, which means that they will have to find a new captain. Shreyas won them the title last season.

In Short

• Rinku Singh has been with KKR since the 2018 edition
• Rinku had a dream run for KKR in the 2023 season
• KKR retained five players ahead of the mega auction

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) took a bold call of not retaining Shreyas Iyer before the Indian Premier League (IPL). Earlier this year, Shreyas rose above the odds and helped KKR win the title. In the final, they defeated Pat Cummins’ Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by eight wickets at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

IPL Retention 2025 Updates

Batting in the middle-order, Shreyas made vital contributions with 351 runs from 15 matches at an average of 39 and strike-rate of 146.86. But despite playing a huge role for the Men in Gold and Purple, both as a skipper and batter, he was not retained.

Rather, KKR preferred Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy and Ramandeep Singh as their five retentions. After letting go of Shreyas, the Knight Riders have to decide who their captain should be.

Can Rinku Singh lead the Knight Riders?

Rinku Singh is an option the Knight Riders can choose to lead them in the upcoming edition of the tournament. The left-handed batter has been with the Knights since the 2018 edition of the championship. He did not get enough chances to play in the first couple of seasons.

But since 2023, he has grown in stature. He emerged as one of KKR’s strongest finishers, who could take them past the finish line under difficult circumstances. Rinku showed that he had the temperament to not lose his composure when the chips are down.

Last year, he pulled off a massive heist after hitting Yash Dayal for five sixes in a row, helping KKR snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Having also played for India in limited-overs cricket, Rinku has got the taste of what it’s like to go up against the big boys of cricket.

Although he did not have the best of seasons for KKR last time around, Rinku did manage to hold on to his spot in the team. Apart from his exploits in the IPL, Rinku has been a consistent performer for Uttar Pradesh in the IPL. KKR may take a punt at giving Rinku leadership duties.