After the Kolkata Knight Riders‘ tough match against the Punjab Kings at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Tuesday, captain Ajinkya Rahane had some harsh words for his team, including himself. Chasing down a target of 112 runs was absolutely within reach, but the batting squad just couldn’t get it together. Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi had formed a solid 60-run partnership, which really made it look like KKR was on track to win without too much stress. But then everything changed when Yuzvendra Chahal had Rahane LBW, breaking their partnership and changing the game’s momentum.
Rahane took full responsibility for his mistake, admitting, “I played the wrong shot. It all started there. I was unsure and didn’t want to take a risk at that moment. The pitch wasn’t the easiest to bat on, but 111 runs was totally a chaseable score. As a team, we just didn’t bat well, that’s for sure. The bowlers did their part really well against a strong batting lineup from Punjab. We were a bit reckless, and as a team, we have to own that failure.” He went on to express his disappointment, saying, “I have a lot on my mind. I really need to keep calm and think about how to talk to the team.”
Interestingly, after chatting with Raghuvanshi, Rahane opted not to go for the DRS. Later on, the replay showed the ball would have missed the stumps. This decision turned out to be quite costly, as the rest of the team crumbled, and KKR ended up all out for just 95 runs in 15.1 overs. Rahane was straightforward about the situation: There’s nothing much to say. We were all there and saw how things turned out. I’m disappointed with our performance. I’ll take the blame for playing that shot, even though the ball wasn’t hitting the stumps. I wasn’t very sure about what Angkrish said after I got out. He thought it could be an umpire’s call, but I didn’t want to take a risk when things were already tense.
When asked if net run rate was weighing on his mind, Rahane simply said, “Not really. We just didn’t bat well as a unit. We really need to take responsibility for that. Our bowlers did a stellar job, keeping Punjab to just 111 runs. As a player, you have to stay confident and positive, no matter what.”
Rahane also pointed out the poor shot selection his team had during the match, stating, “On this pitch, batting with a full face was definitely the way to go. Trying to sweep was tough. Sure, we need to keep our intent up, but we also have to play better cricketing shots. We were way too reckless out there, and we should own up to that. Right now, I’ve got a lot running through my mind. It should have been an easy chase for us. After the game, I need to stay calm and figure out how to motivate the boys. We must remain positive. There’s still a lot of tournament left to play, and we need to tackle this head-on and move forward.”
To make things even tougher for Kolkata, Chahal delivered a stunning performance with figures of 4 wickets for 28 runs, while Marco Jansen added three more wickets, helping Punjab secure a close 16-run victory. With this win, the Punjab Kings have climbed up to fourth place with eight points from six matches, while KKR finds themselves struggling in sixth place with only six points after seven games.
