Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 22 (ANI): Indian Premier League's (IPL) defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have kickstarted their preparations for the 18th season with a week-long training camp in Mumbai, before their Kolkata leg of the main pre-tournament camp begins in March. The ongoing program aims to bring together their core domestic talent for seven days of comprehensive training and team bonding activities, according to a release from KKR.

The camp, which runs from February 21-28, features nine of KKR's domestic players, focusing on building early momentum ahead of the upcoming season. Leading the pack is Venkatesh Iyer, alongside Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora and others. The camp also features young talents like Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who had an impressive debut season in 2024, and newcomers Mayank Markande and Luvnith Sisodia.

The training camp, overseen by head coach Chandrakant Pandit and his support staff, encompasses specialised strength and conditioning sessions, skill training in the nets, match simulation exercises and team bonding activities.

'The players who are not currently involved in domestic cricket are available and have joined us for this short pre-season camp. This is a normal routine for us every season. We will also have a camp in Kolkata from March 12 onwards, where we will have the international players available post the ICC Champions Trophy. Our real preparation will start when the whole squad assembles, but this camp will help us get into a rhythm. We have our core group intact which gives us confidence, and I am sure that with the players we have brought in (at the Auction), our combinations will be very strong like last season,' cited head coach Chandrakant Pandit, as quoted from a release by KKR.

Adding to this, spin bowling coach Carl Crowe said, 'We've got lots of nets, lots of match simulation planned for the next few days. So, it's an opportunity for most of the group to get back together. It's good to see a lot of known guys here, but also a few new faces. It's important to keep the squad fresh. Obviously, we had a very successful year last year, but you got to keep thinking about ways to get forward. Everyone is really excited for the whole tournament.'

The coaching setup at the camp will also include bowling coach Bharat Arun, Strength & Conditioning Coach Sagar V and Head Physio Prasanth Panchada, in addition to spin bowling coach Carl Crowe, ensuring the players receive expert guidance across all aspects of their preparation.

The full roster of domestic players participating in the camp include Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Anukul Roy, Manish Pandey, Luvnith Sisodia, Mayank Markande, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi.

KKR will begin their IPL 2025 campaign with the season opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Eden Gardens on exactly a month later on Saturday, March 22. (ANI)