“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.”
This is Rahane’s second stint with KKR, having played seven matches for them in IPL 2022, when they finished seventh. Rahane has turned out for six franchises in the IPL and is among a select group of players to have been part of IPL from its inception in 2008. Rahane has some experience captaining India (with eight wins in 11 games across formats), is among the most successful captains in domestic cricket, and has led in 25 matches across two IPL franchises: once at Rising Pune Supergiant and the rest at Rajasthan Royals.
Mysore believes such a wealth of experience can only be beneficial for KKR. “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].
“Captaincy cannot be underestimated. This is going to be my 15th season, so I have seen a lot. It is not only about what you do on the field. There’s a lot of [other] stuff when it comes to IPL, including dealing with media, and there will be expectation in terms of the captain. At the same time, it is a new cycle, there is diversity in the team, if you have to be a successful captain you have to invest in building relationships with everybody so that you know how to get the best out of everyone. And then there’s preparatory stuff in terms of camps, bowlers’ meetings, batters’ meetings, interaction with coaches – that’s a lot to take in. From that perspective we are lucky we have got Ajinkya who will be terrific for us. Not only as only as a captain, of which there’s no doubt, but also as a batsman. He has scored tons of runs.”
Venkatesh is ‘captaincy material’
Mysore also said that that Venkatesh would continue to be part of the leadership group and that he had the potential to grow into a future captain. “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.”
The move to appoint Venkatesh as the vice-captain, Mysore said, also would allow him to learn from Rahane. “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.”