Follow UsThe 2024 IPL champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, didn’t have the best of tournaments in 2025, in the absence of star opener Phil Salt, who departed to RCB. As it turned out in 2025, they really struggled with the bat in the powerplay, as the openers averaged just 26.5 with the bat, and only 22.3 as an opening pair, the third-lowest in the league.
There is no doubt that KKR would go back to the market in search of some Indian options at the top of the order, and that’s where these 3 Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) batters could come into play.
Tushar Raheja - Tiruppur Tamizhans
If you have watched some bits of TNPL, that’s enough for you to remember Tushar Raheja. The stylish left-handed opener plays KKR’s prototype of attacking cricket in the powerplay. Raheja is currently the leading run-scorer in TNPL 2025, with 298 runs in the season, averaging 99.33, striking at 204.10.
There’s no doubt over his six-hitting abilities, with 21 sixes and 29 fours in the competition, the most boundaries for any batter in TNPL 2025.
Shivam Singh - Dindigul Dragons
Since 2023, there hasn’t been a batter in TNPL who has scored more runs than Shivam Singh. The former PBKS all-rounder has taken the tournament by storm, with 931 runs at a staggering average of 51.72. Shivam also has the most half-centuries for any batter in the period, showing his incredible consistency.
He’s been highly successful in TNPL, and KKR could reap the rewards with him at the top of the order.
Nidhish Rajagopal - Salem Spartans
If in a radical manner, Ajinkya Rahane becomes KKR’s opener, then they will be looking at someone to hold that fort at No.3, which is where Nidhish Rajagopal walks in. The left-hander is good against both pace and spin, adding another layer of impact in KKR’s middle-order.
Since the 2023 TNPL, the left-hander has scored 263 runs against spin, with 16 sixes. The fact that the Salem batter is just 25 adds a bit of youth to the ageing KKR squad. If picked, he gives KKR that right amount of glue to hold the middle-order in a batting unit filled with swashbuckling batters.