Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are the defending champions for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL). Having retained most of their core players from their title-winning squad, the Men in Purple and Gold, will want to reclaim the IPL trophy and close the gap to Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians in the titles leaderboard. Despite changes to their winning combination from last season with new faces slotting into pre-designed roles, it will be the old guard who will want to stand up and repose the faith shown in them by KKR. Here are the five players who can star for KKR in IPL 2025: Sunil Narine – The West Indian spin wizard had found a second dimension to his game when he started opening the innings with the bat as his blistering starts helped free up slot down the order if and when he failed to get the side off to a flier. The 36-year-old’s modus operandi with the bat is known to everyone on the field but yet the southpaw batter did have the last laugh by smashing 488 runs at a stunning strike rate of 180.74, including his maiden IPL hundred. With the ball, Narine outfoxed opposition batters with concerning ease. The mystery seemed intact after all these years when he scalped 17 victims in 2024, breaking hearts and partnerships with aplomb. The change in his action and alteration in speed has not dented the Most Valuable Player of last season. Andre Russell – The fast-bowler and lower-order basher will key again for KKR to shoulder responsibly in both departments. Russell played a pivotal role in KKR’s triumphant 2024 campaign, scoring 222 runs with an impressive strike rate of 185. With the ball, Dre Russ picked up 19 wickets, becoming KKR’s joint second-highest wicket-taker among pacers alongside teammate Harshit Rana, who also shared the spot. Be it opening the bowling or coming in at the death to close out the innings with bat or ball, Russell’s experience and ability are unmatched in the current cricket landscape. Varun Chakaravarthy – From a net bowler a few seasons back to becoming India’s leading wicket-taking spinner, the 33-year-old has been taking giant strides with every match he plays. Picking up 21 wickets at an economy rate of 8.04, saw him finish second in the Purple Cap race – his best-ever season, bettering his previous record from the year prior. Varun will want to shine again with the ball after doing well in domestic and international cricket: he picked up 18 wickets in the 20224-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy and then nine wickets in India’s victorious ICC Champions Trophy campaign in Dubai. Venkatesh Iyer – The 30-year-old old-rounder was not retained by KKR after being their third-highest run-scorer in IPL 2024, with 370 runs in 13 innings at an average of 46.25 and four fifties to his name. Come the auction, KKR splurged a whopping INR 23.75 crore to get him back, putting further faith in him by announcing him as the vice-captain. Be it opening the batting, finishing the innings, or bowling a couple of seam-up overs to allow for balance in the team, Venkatesh can do everything. KKR know he’s their most clutch player, having scored fifties in every knockout match he has played, and will now look for more consistency across roles. Rinku Singh – The star batter was made the most expensive retention for KKR’s 2025 season with a price tag of INR 13 crore, a huge jump from being roped in by the franchise in 2018 for his base price of INR 80 lakh. The change in the valuation of Rinku and his talents by KKR shows his growth in the IPL. Despite making only 168 runs last season after his breakout year in 2023, faith has been shown in Rinku’s ability to be the game-changer as a finisher with the bat. The fact remains the Impact Player rule has limited his ability to showcase his talent but KKR will hope Rinku can explode again if and when his team needs him to.