The loss against CSK has further strained KKR’s chances to get into the 2025 IPL playoffs. Rahane asserted that there is still a chance for the team to make it into the playoffs if they can manage to win their last two games, both of which are away.
“Yeah, I think if we get to 15 points, we have a shot at qualifying. We need to stay positive. We’ve got two games left – one against Sunrisers Hyderabad and then Bangalore,” Rahane stated after the match.
He added, “We need to focus on how to win those games. Overall, I think we’re playing decent cricket, but this match didn’t go as planned.”
Speaking about Vaibhav Arora going for 30 runs in the 11th over, he said, “Vaibhav tried his best. Both Dube and Brevis batted well and took their chances. That can happen to any team. We did come back into the game and aimed to take wickets. After taking five early wickets, they formed a solid partnership. We knew that if we took a couple more wickets, we could turn things around, and I think we executed that pretty well. But when it’s MS Dhoni needing just eight runs off six balls, it’s always tough.”
Rahane also felt that KKR probably fell 10-15 runs short after winning the toss and electing to bat first, an uncommon decision for recent KKR captains.
They bowled well. I think the two overs from Pathirana were key – six runs off them, and he finished it well,” he said. “Noor Ahmad and Pathirana bowled four really nice overs at the death. Well done to them. I don’t think our batsmen did anything wrong; it is the CSK bowlers who were able to keep their line and length and execute their plans well.”
The powerplay saw KKR ripping through half of the CSK batters. He felt that the lower-order batters of CSK did well in middle overs against Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy, which got the game tilted towards CSK.
“They were very patient against Sunny and Varun and waited for the other bowlers. When Vaibhav came in, they capitalized on it, and it really worked out well for them. Overall, I think they played well. That one over made a huge difference,” he concluded.
