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After another disappointing Indian Premier League (IPL) season, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team management is expected to make some important moves ahead of the IPL 2027 season.
KKR finished their IPL 2026 campaign in 7th placeth With 13 points from 14 games in the 10-team league. In their final match of the season, the former champions suffered their seventh defeat against Delhi Capitals at the Eden Gardens on 24 May.
KKR management may make some changes
As KKR finished their last match of the season, there was a lot of speculation regarding the future of Ajinkya Rahane. Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane, who was made the captain of the team in place of Shreyas Iyer, may lose his place in the team.
His batting style has been continuously criticized throughout the season. In the IPL 2026 season, many openers are performing with a strike rate around 200.00, while Ajinkya Rahane had an average strike rate of 135.08 in the season.
There are strong beliefs that the poor form of the captain and opening batsman is one of the reasons for the team’s inconsistent performance. The 37-year-old top-order batsman finished his IPL 2026 journey having scored 335 runs in 14 innings at a batting average of 25.76 and a strike rate of 135.08. In those 14 innings and as many matches, the opening batsman scored only a few half-centuries.
Abhishek Nair is also under investigation
According to local media reports, the performance of head coach Abhishek Nair is also under question. Nair has a very close relationship with the KKR team management. Before being appointed as the team’s head coach, he served the Purple Brigade as a coaching staff member and head of their academy.
Abhishek Nair has built a reputation for good management. His strong relationship with Indian cricket team star Rohit Sharma is also not unknown to the cricket world. When Kolkata Knight Riders appointed him as the head coach of the team ahead of the IPL 2026 season in place of the experienced Chandrakant Pandit, it showed how much confidence the management had in Nair.
Ajinkya Rahane may be sacked; Final decision is also expected on Nair
However, the situation changed drastically as the team failed to perform. KKR are winless in their first six matches of the IPL 2026 season, which included 5 losses and one washout match. Due to the initial setback, the team mostly remained at the bottom of the points table.
The team showed its fighting spirit from the middle stage of the tournament and made a strong comeback. However, despite a strong comeback, it proved insufficient to secure a place in the play-offs. As soon as Rajasthan Royals claimed victory against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, it was certain that KKR would be out of the title race.
According to Bengali daily newspaper Sangbad Pratidin, the team management is set to submit a report card to the top brass of the franchise. The performances of Ajinkya Rahane and Abhishek Nair are expected to be closely scrutinized.
Read more: “Proud of everyone”: Ajinkya Rahane lauds entire KKR team despite disappointing end to IPL 2026