Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane He continued his approach of not letting criticism affect him, as he enhanced his mindset after ignoring outside discussions about his batting form in T20 cricket.
After Kolkata Knight Riders’ defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad at their home ground at Eden Gardens. Rahane was out at a strike rate less than 100 and this put Kolkata in a disadvantageous position.
Rahane has been criticized for his poor form; However, the batsman played a big role in helping KKR set Mumbai Indians a target of 221 runs in their opening game of the season at the Wankhede Stadium.
Ajinkya Rahane hits back at critics with ‘best strike rate’ claim
Kolkata Knight Riders After Shreyas Iyer’s exit from the team, India’s great batsman Ajinkya Rahane was appointed as its captain in IPL 2025. He played a key role with the bat for KKR last season too and has started this season’s campaign in the same manner.
Rahane argued that as a batsman, he has had the best strike rate in the last two seasons in T20 cricket. Be it franchise cricket or domestic cricket, Rahane has shown promising performances in the shortest format of the game. Therefore he has openly challenged the intentions of his critics.
“I think I have one of the best strike rates since 2023. 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… The amount of success I have had, I think they are jealous of me. I am not too worried,” Rahane said in the post-match conference.
“They didn’t expect Ajinkya Rahane to basically prove his game so much” – Ajinkya Rahane
The batsman also emphasized on the fact that Rahane has dominated T20 cricket to the best of his ability. He further claimed that no one expected Rahane to basically prove his game to this extent, and he is really happy that he is being talked about so much, be it positive or negative.
“Sometimes, as a batsman, you don’t get that rhythm; you don’t get that flow. People who are talking, either they don’t understand the game… or I think they want me to play a different kind of innings.
“They didn’t expect Ajinkya Rahane to prove his game so much basically. So I’m happy that they are talking about me, negative or positive, any way. I’m really happy that they are talking. Let them talk,” Rahane said.
Ajinkya Rahane did not back down in the press conference after the match#KKRvsSRH #IPL2026 pic.twitter.com/b9IxVcrQJZ
– Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) 2 April 2026
KKR has reached a low with two consecutive defeats in IPL 2026
Kolkata Knight Riders have reached a low level in the initial stages itself. ipl 2026 tournament. The IPL 2026 campaign for the former champions begins after a disappointing campaign in 2025, where they finished eighth in the points table.
KKR were not looking on the worst side on the sheets after the mini-auction, but they suffered one blow after another. Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a major blow when Mustafizur Rahman was ruled out as per BCCI norms and Harshit Rana suffered a serious injury.
The agreement has been made in the absence of the bowling side. Mathisha PathiranaSri Lankan highly invested cricketer. With two consecutive losses in two matches this season, KKR are now placed 9th, only above Chennai Super Kings, whose run-rate is disappointing.
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