Rahane highlights flurry of middle-overs wickets as the key shift in momentum

Rahane Reflects on Strong Start, Missed Opportunity as KKR Eyes Quick Turnaround

Ajinkya Rahane made an instant impact in his Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) debut, scoring a fluent 56 off 31 balls against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2025 opener. While his knock stood out in KKR’s innings, the veteran batter had little to celebrate after the team fell short, losing the match comfortably.

“I hope you all enjoyed my innings more than I did,” Rahane said at the post-match press conference. “For me, it’s always about contributing to the team. A fifty in a winning cause would’ve meant more — but that’s how it goes.”

Rahane pinpointed the flurry of wickets before the death overs as the key moment where KKR lost control. After cruising at 107 for 1 in the 10th over, they collapsed to 174 for 9 by the end of the innings. While Rahane and Sunil Narine (44) had laid a strong platform, the middle order failed to capitalize, scoring just 23 runs in the final four overs.

“We had a great start, but I felt the momentum shifted when we lost wickets in the 13th and 14th overs,” Rahane noted. “Those moments were crucial. RCB bowled well, especially in that phase, and we couldn’t recover.”

Despite the loss, Rahane, who is also KKR’s new captain, remained upbeat. “It’s the first game of the season. There were positives — and things to improve. This team has proven match-winners. I’m going to back them fully.”

He also addressed the team’s selection choices, particularly the decision to start with Quinton de Kock over Rahmanullah Gurbaz as wicketkeeper-opener.

“Gurbaz is a quality player, but you can’t play everyone. We felt the left-right opening combination of Quinton and Sunil [Narine] could be dangerous. Left-right doesn’t always matter — look at Kohli and Salt.”

On the bowling front, Rahane threw his support behind KKR’s relatively inexperienced pace attack of Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, and Spencer Johnson, who collectively leaked 105 runs in just over eight overs.

“I don’t believe in making too many changes,” Rahane said. “They’ve all done well previously, and one bad game doesn’t define them. Spencer gives us something different with his left-arm angle. Harshit is confident and still learning. I have full faith they’ll bounce back.”

As KKR quickly shifts focus to their next clash against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on Wednesday, Rahane emphasized the need to move on fast.

“There’s a lot of cricket ahead. We take the lessons and keep moving,” he concluded.

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