The Kolkata Knight Riders were, without a doubt, one of the most dominant teams last season and deservingly won their third Indian Premier League title.
However, as they enter the 2025 season with a smaller, much revamped squad and without a leader at the helm, will they be able to maintain their dominance?
In this article, we take a look at five domestic players who can make a difference for the KKR this coming season.
Ramandeep Singh
An all-rounder who can bowl a bit of medium pace and produce explosive batting cameos lower down the order, Ramandeep Singh’s stock has skyrocketed in the last 12 months, so much so that the 27-year-old earned himself an international call-up during India’s T20I series against South Africa in November last year.
With the Knight Riders heading into the 2025 season with just 20 players, there’s a clear lack of depth in their squad. Although they were able to keep most of their star players, the likes of Singh will have a crucial role to play for the KKR throughout the 2025 season.
Harshit Rana
One of the most promising and standout players in the KKR’s title-winning run last season, the young 23-year-old seamer will arguably be the lead pacer for the defending champions this season. His exceptional skill set, coupled with a deep understanding of the game, saw Rana lead the attack for the majority of last season despite having someone like Mitchell Starc as his bowling partner.
The fact that Rana picked up 19 wickets in just 11 games, that too while bowling on the batting-friendly pitches of Eden Gardens, with an economy of 9.08, is exceptional, considering teams were regularly posting 200+ totals last season.
This season, with a comparatively weakened bowling lineup as well as a lack of adequate replacements, a lot will be asked of Rana.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi
This 20-year-old set the stage alight with a blistering half-century on his IPL debut last season. Although Raghuvanshi failed to capitalise on his good start, the little opportunities he got were more than enough to give us a glimpse of what he can produce at the biggest of stages.
In the lead-up to this season, however, Raghuvanshi hasn’t been at his fluent best, though again he has shown great promise and impressive shot-making in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
There is a clear lack of depth in the KKR batting lineup, so it’ll be important for the Knight Riders to get Raghuvanshi ready and in-form for a gruelling 2025 season.
Vaibhav Arora
Having made his IPL debut in 2022 for the Punjab Kings, the 27-year-old right-arm seamer from Ambala has been on a steady upward trajectory. Arora joined the Knight Riders in 2023, though it was last season when he truly showed what he’s capable of.
Arora is a hit-the-deck-hard type of bowler who can be effective both during the Powerplay and death overs. He also has a knack of picking up crucial wickets, like Abhishek Sharma’s dismissal in Qualifier 1 and getting Travis Head’s wicket in the final for a duck.
Alongside Harshit Rana, Arora will play a crucial role for the KKR this season. He took five wickets in the SMAT, going at just seven runs per over. He carried his form into the VHT, where he bagged 13 wickets in just six innings and was among the highest wicket-takers in the tournament.
Ajinkya Rahane
Since his move to the Chennai Super Kings, Ajinkya Rahane has redefined his T20 batting. During the Super Kings’ title-winning run of 2023, Rahane scored 326 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 172.5. Last season, however, the 36-year-old batter struggled for form, scoring just 242 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 123.5, resulting in the CSK letting him go without any bids.
With the Knight Riders still undecided on who’s going to be leading them this season, their INR 1.5-crore purchase of Rahane, who has captained different teams across different formats, could prove to be a masterstroke, especially given his recent form. In the recently-concluded SMAT, Rahane ended the tournament as the highest run-getter, scoring 469 runs in just eight innings at a strike rate of 164.6. Thus, it’ll be interesting to see whether the KKR hierarchy hand over the team leadership to the former Team India captain in red-ball cricket.
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