4 KKR players in IPL 2025 who were earlier in RR ft. Ajinkya Rahane 

The 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is in full swing and we have already witnessed some fascinating thrillers in the four days we have had the tournament so far. The season kicked off with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeating the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the opening match of the contest.

The Rajasthan Royals bowlers were given a reality check against the star-studded SunRisers Hyderabad batting lineup. The SunRisers ended up posting 286 on the board, the second-highest IPL score in the history of the cash-rich league.

Despite a strong showing with the bat by RR, they fell considerably short of the eventual target. Both KKR and Rajasthan will hope to get their campaign back on track when they face each other in the 6th match of the season.

Over the years, at least four KKR players have previously plied their trade for the Rajasthan Royals. Ahead of the sixth match, here is a list of four KKR players who previously played for the Rajasthan Royals.

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#4 Chetan Sakariya

Chetan Sakariya burst into the scene during the 2021 IPL when he was snapped up by the Rajasthan Royals ahead of the 2021 IPL season. He was bought for ₹1.2 crores and became a regular feature in that particular season.

The left-arm seamer bagged 14 wickets in as many matches but couldn't quite continue his dream run in the next two seasons. He played for the Delhi Capitals in 2022 and 2023 but couldn't become a regular feature in the squad. Sakariya was signed as a replacement player for the Knight Riders ahead of the 2025 season for the injured Imran Malik.

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#3 Mayank Markande

The right-arm leg spinner hogged the limelight during the 2018 IPL season when he bagged four wickets on his debut for the Mumbai Indians against their arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings. As the seasons progressed, he couldn't quite cement his place in the squad and was later released by MI.

Markande was acquired by the Rajasthan Royals in the 2021 IPL season but played a solitary match for them. His career graph has dipped quite considerably in the last few years. He would be hoping to revive his career if he does get a chance for KKR.

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#2 Rovman Powell

Powell was part of the RR squad in 2024. Source: Getty

The hard-hitting all-rounder Rovman Powell was bought by the Rajasthan Royals ahead of the 2024 season. He played 10 matches for them, scoring just 103 runs, and was later released by the franchise ahead of the mega-auction.

Powell is a lusty striker of the ball and can turn the complexion of the game within a few moments with his blistering strokeplay. He was snapped up by the Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the 2025 mega-auction for a price of ₹1.25 crores. If given an opportunity, Powell could be a game-changer for KKR.

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#1 Ajinkya Rahane

The current KKR captain and a top-order batter, Ajinkya Rahane, started his IPL career with the Rajasthan Royals back in 2011 and stayed there till the 2015 season. It was the Royals who gave him the opportunity to make a name for himself in the IPL.

He had anoter stint with them from 2018-19 before shifting bases to Kolkata Knight Riders. Rahane then made a career defining move to the Chennai Super Kings, where he found a different aspect to his game.

He was picked up only in the accelerated auction. The extra responsibility of captaining KKR might bring the best out of him.