Kolkata, April 3: In a recent IPL 2026 match held at Eden Gardens, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) faced a defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 65 runs. KKR’s captain Ajinkya Rahane struggled with the bat, scoring just 8 runs off 10 balls, leading to criticism regarding his strike rate.
In response to the backlash, Rahane stated, “My strike rate has been the best since 2023. Those who are talking may not be watching the matches or they might have a specific agenda against me. They don’t like to see me play. I think they are envious of my success.”
He further emphasized, “I am not too worried. My intent was clear. Sometimes, as a batsman, you don’t find your flow. Those who are criticizing either don’t understand the game or expect me to play differently. They didn’t expect Ajinkya Rahane to improve his game so much. I’m glad they are talking about me, whether it’s positive or negative. Let them talk. I know what I am doing and what I have done in the past. Instead of thinking about what others say, I trust myself.”
Since IPL 2023, among Indian batsmen, only Abhishek has a better strike rate in the powerplay than Rahane, with 176.56 compared to Rahane’s 167.78. However, Rahane’s challenge lies in maintaining his strike rate post-powerplay, which has been a point of criticism.
In the season opener against Mumbai Indians, Rahane scored 67 runs off 40 balls, but he could not replicate that performance against SRH, leading KKR to their second consecutive loss as they collapsed to 161 runs in 16 overs while chasing a target of 227 runs.