All posts tagged: Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane Hits Back at Strike-Rate Critics with Calm Authority

Ajinkya Rahane Hits Back at Strike-Rate Critics with Calm Authority

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The Kolkata Knight Riders captain, Ajinkya Rahane, became defensive of his batting and leadership after the side slumped to a crushing 65-run defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Eden Gardens. Rahane, who got dismissed for 8 off 10 deliveries, was in no mood to take criticism around his approach. Despite a slow start to the season, Rahane did not hold back in the post-match conference, taking critics questioning his intent and strike rate. “I think I have one of the best strike rates so far from 2023,” he said. “People who are talking about me (are) probably not watching the game or they have a certain agenda against me. They don’t like me playing. They don’t like to watch me play.” Since 2023, his strike rate has been one of the best in the players for a minimum of 300 ball faced. However, his numbers against spin in overs 7 to 15 and strike rate drops to 114.02 in the same time period. Ajinkya Rahane added that, “The amount of success which I got, I guess …

Ajinkya Rahane lashes out at critics over strike-rate talk amid KKR’s loss to SRH ‘They don’t like to watch me play’

Ajinkya Rahane lashes out at critics over strike-rate talk amid KKR’s loss to SRH ‘They don’t like to watch me play’

Published by Webster

3 min readKolkataUpdated: Apr 3, 2026 08:09 AM IST Smarting from their second loss of IPL 2026 in as many matches against the Sunrisers Hyderabad at Eden Gardens, Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Ajinkya Rahane lashed out at the critics of his batting style and the ‘outside noise’ regarding his strike-rate. “I think I have one of the best strike-rates so far from 2023, and people who are talking about me are probably not watching the game, and they have a certain agenda against me. They don’t like me playing; they don’t like to watch me play. The amount of success I got, I guess, they are jealous. I am not too worried. You guys know what I am doing. Just one bad inning, not a bad innings, but my intent was there. Sometimes, as a batter, you don’t get that rhythm, you don’t get that flow,” he said at the post-match press conference. The 37-year-old started the season by making 67 off 40 balls against the Mumbai Indians on Sunday while opening with New Zealand’s …

Harbhajan Singh criticises KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane for not bowling Sunil Narine against Rohit Sharma in powerplay vs MI: ‘Captaincy wasn’t up to the mark’ | Cricket News

Harbhajan Singh criticises KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane for not bowling Sunil Narine against Rohit Sharma in powerplay vs MI: ‘Captaincy wasn’t up to the mark’ | Cricket News

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2 min readUpdated: Mar 30, 2026 06:17 PM IST Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh said that Ajinkya Rahane missed a trick by not bowling Sunil Narine against an ominous looking Rohit Sharma in the powerplay during Kolkata Knight Riders; match vs Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede on Sunday. Rohit went on to score a breezy 78 runs as well as added 148 runs with opening partner Ryan Rickelton (81) to help MI defeat KKR by 6 wickets. “The best match-up was to bowl Sunil Narine in the powerplay, at least one or two overs to target Rohit Sharma early. That was their best chance to pick wickets and put Mumbai under pressure. Instead, Narine didn’t even complete his full quota, which shows the captaincy wasn’t up to the mark,” Harbhajan told JioStar. “Credit to Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton. They batted with ease and never let the bowlers settle, but KKR could have handled that phase much better,” the former off spinner added. Rickelton and Rohit slammed quickfire fifties, helping Mumbai win their first opening …

Ajinkya Rahane responds to talk surrounding his future after 40-ball 67 for KKR vs MI in IPL 2026

Ajinkya Rahane responds to talk surrounding his future after 40-ball 67 for KKR vs MI in IPL 2026

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3 min readMar 30, 2026 08:35 AM IST “Let people talk, yaar about me. They have been talking about me for 20 years, let them talk”. Before Sunday’s IPL 2026 opener against the Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane last played a match in December 2025. There have been some murmurs around his future as a player. Yet, despite not having played for over three months, he made his return with a 40-ball 67 at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. “I am really happy, the way I am batting at the moment. I am not here to show anyone how talented I am or what is my game. People are watching. Let them watch. Let them talk. I’m just happy with how I’m batting. Over the last 2–3 years, I’ve worked on improving my T20 game.” ALSO READ | Rohit Sharma’s quickest IPL half century, Ryan Rickelton’s 81 help Mumbai Indians break 13-year opening match hoodoo “It’s about growing as a cricketer. Log baate karte rahenge. Let them talk,” Rahane said at the post-match …

IPL 2026: Why can’t Cameron Green bowl yet? Ask Cricket Australia, says KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane after MI defeat | Cricket News

IPL 2026: Why can’t Cameron Green bowl yet? Ask Cricket Australia, says KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane after MI defeat | Cricket News

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3 min readMar 29, 2026 11:48 PM IST There’s been significant uncertainty over the availability of some star overseas players for the start of the ongoing IPL season, and KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane threw in another question into the mix on Sunday after his side’s defeat against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. After Kolkata’s inexperienced bowling unit was put to the sword, Rahane was asked why the Rs 25.20 crore recruit Cameron Green did not bowl a single over. “That question you need to ask Cricket Australia,” was the captain’s response. “Hopefully Green starts to bowl soon, and the combination will be slightly different,” he had said a few moments earlier. Green, who became the most expensive overseas player to be signed at any IPL auction, batted at No 3 in the team’s opening match, scoring 18 off 10 balls. He then threw himself around the field during the second half, but wasn’t brought on to bowl his medium pacers on a pitch where MI’s seamers were able to pull things back in …

KKR Pile Up 220 as Ajinkya Rahane, Raghuvanshi Lead the Charge at Wankhede

KKR Pile Up 220 as Ajinkya Rahane, Raghuvanshi Lead the Charge at Wankhede

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A solid knock from Ajinkya Rahane and Raghuvanshi has guided Kolkata Knight Riders to set up a 221 target for Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2026 game played at Wankhede Stadium. Both went on to capitalise on the innings on different occasions and slammed fifties to set a formidable total against the mighty Mumbai Indians. After being invited to bat first, Ajinkya Rahane and Finn Allen opened the innings while Trent Boult opened the bowling attack. Despite a solid start from the openers, Shardul Thakur brought the first breakthrough by dismissing Finn Allen for 37 runs. With Cameron Green coming to bat at no. 3, he added 18 runs before being dismissed by Thakur. In the meantime, Rahane smashed his fifty and went on to score 67 runs off 40 deliveries. Shardul Thakur bagged his third wicket, dismissing Rahane in the 14th over. With an unbeaten 33 runs from Rinku Singh, Kolkata Knight Riders went on to score 220 runs in their 20-over innings. Innings Break! Half-centuries by Captain Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi led …

‘Taking everything in my stride’: KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane on whether he is feeling more pressure for IPL 2026 | Cricket News

‘Taking everything in my stride’: KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane on whether he is feeling more pressure for IPL 2026 | Cricket News

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2 min readMar 21, 2026 01:29 AM IST Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane has said that he is taking everything in “his stride” after a wretched first season at the helm of the three-time champions last time around. There has been plenty of scrutiny of Rahane’s position as the Kolkata Knight Riders’ captain after he could only manage to steer them to a lowly eighth spot in the IPL 2025 standings. What had made matters worse last season for the KKR faithful was that the team was the defending champions coming into IPL 2025, having won the title with Shreyas Iyer at the helm. Ahead of IPL 2026, Rahane was asked at the pre tournament press conference of KKR if he was feeling more pressure this season as the captain. “Every season brings its own expectations and challenges, whether you are a player or a captain. For me, the key has always been to stay positive. I’ve been leading the team since last year and I’m really grateful to the franchise for giving me …

‘Taking everything in my stride’: KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane on whether he is feeling more pressure for IPL 2026 | Cricket News

Former CSK batter slams Ajinkya Rahane and KKR ahead of IPL 2026 season

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2 min readMar 19, 2026 08:52 PM IST Kolkata Knight Riders are approaching their IPL 2026 campaign with poor form and injury concerns compounding their woes, and former Chennai Super Kings batter S Badrinath did not mince words as he criticised the team’s overall management. Badrinath slammed KKR for backing veteran India batter Ajinkya Rahane as captain for a second successive season and also questioned the team’s decision to make a record-breaking signing of Australia all-rounder Cameron Green for Rs 25.20 crore during the IPL 2026 mini-auction last December. Battling injuries and poor form since, Green has struggled to make an impact in national colours and Badrinath questioned if the Australian had it in him to win games all by himself. “You’ve signed him for 25 crores, and he is woefully out of form. He struggled massively for Australia in the T20 World Cup. Cameron Green went for so much purely because of the hype. He is not worth that much. Has he singlehandedly done anything in the IPL? Australian players always get hyped up, …

Ajinkya Rahane urges Gautam Gambhir to ‘stay away from social media’ until end of T20 World Cup | Cricket News

Ajinkya Rahane urges Gautam Gambhir to ‘stay away from social media’ until end of T20 World Cup | Cricket News

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Former India Test captain Ajinkya Rahane has said that head coach Gautam Gambhir should probably consider staying away from social media as much as possible until the end of the 2026 T20 World Cup. Rahane expressed the opinion while talking about Gambhir’s recent exchange with Congress Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor on the social media platform ‘X’. Gautam Gambhir had sarcastically criticised those that, according to him, think that the coach has “unilimited authority”. “My only response to this is, GG should stay away from social media,” said Rahane on Cricbuzz. “Probably not think too much about what people are talking about him or telling him. He played cricket in a great manner and now he is coaching India which is a very responsible job. That’s my personal opinion, something that even I used to do. Staying away from social media and focus on the big event that’s coming, till the World Cup is over.” The 2026 T20 World Cup starts on February 7. Tharoor had posted a picture with Gambhir, saying that he met …

Ajinkya Rahane decodes what Suryakumar Yadav has to do to rediscover form: ‘If Surya does well, India will do well’ | Cricket News

Ajinkya Rahane decodes what Suryakumar Yadav has to do to rediscover form: ‘If Surya does well, India will do well’ | Cricket News

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The spotlight will be back on captain Suryakumar Yadav when India take on New Zealand in the T20I of the five-match series on Wednesday in Nagpur. Widely regarded as one of the greatest T20I batters to have ever come out of India, Suryakumar has never quite been able to consistently work his magic since the time that he became captain of the team really after their succesfull 2024 T20 World Cup campaign. Former India Test captain and SKY’s longtime domestic teammate Ajinkya Rahane feels that the 35-year-0ld has been trying to “do too many things” off late and should just keep things simple in order to rediscover his destructive form in what will be the last series for India before they host the 2026 T20 World Cup. “He has been out of form recently but I am really looking forward to seeing Surya coming back to form just before the World Cup,” said Rahane on Cricbuzz. While his initial downturn in late 2024 was followed by some incredible success in the 2025 Indian Premier League …