Should Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) think beyond Ajinkya Rahane for the captaincy role in the IPL 2026 season? This has been a constant question since the conclusion of the previous session, where the former league winners failed to qualify for the play-offs. As a batter, Rahane's ability is beyond any doubt, but is he good enough to lead KKR?
Former India cricketer, who played for the Kolkata Knight Riders as well, also expressed his doubts over captain Ajinkya Rahane. According to Chopra, the franchise needs to be clearer with its plans.
During a RevSportz event, Aakash Chopra said that KKR should pick their captain from the primary stage of the auction, not during the closing moments. KKR secured the service of Ajinkya Rahane for INR 1.5 crore for the IPL 2025 season. Interestingly, during the auction, he was initially unsold. Later, KKR roped him to lead the team as captain, replacing Shreyas Iyer.
Chopra wanted to say that if the franchise had a clear view, then they should have gone for Rahane in the auction early.
"When you accelerated in the auction, on the 2nd or 3rd occasion, you thought, let's take Ajit here. I mean, your captaincy choice cannot be a third option. When his name came first, you should have snapped him... For the captain, you touch extra money because he is my captain. In the Twenty20 format, the captain is very important," the former cricketer explained.
Ajinkya Rahane is likely to continue as KKR captain in the IPL 2026 season as well
Rahane is likely to remain as the captain of the team for the IPL 2026 season as well. But the former KKR is lacking confidence in him. Chopra felt that Ajinkya would prefer to bat as the opener. Sunil Narine will also be there to open the slot. So, KKR may have to deal with the batting combination if they continue with captain Ajinkya Rahane.
"So, now he has made Ajju the captain. I am sure they might actually continue. But with Ajju's captaincy, there was a small hurdle. That is, you have to open him. You have to play him," he added.
Why Kolkata Knight Riders should appoint Rinku Singh as the captain
Rather than Rahane, the ex-cricketer has strong beliefs about Rinku Singh. He clearly said that Rinku Singh can be a good choice for the leadership role in place of Rahane.
"There is one person, Rinku Singh. He is a very nice person. He is a very likable character. He has already captained in UP20 and UP. So, you can give him a chance..So give a chance. Let me see what happens. So why not bring him to Rinku Singh?" Aakash Chopra raised the question for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
In the UPT20 League, Rinku Singh was the captain of the Meerut Maverics. Later, he was appointed as the captain of the Uttar Pradesh cricket team, replacing Bhuvaneshwar Kumar in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season.
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