Ajinkya Rahane, captain of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), is happy with his current batting form. He shared that his main goal is to keep improving in T20 cricket rather than proving his talent to others. He remains unfazed by any criticism from outside.
In KKR’s IPL 2026 opener against the Mumbai Indians, Rahane scored a solid 67 runs off 40 balls. This was his first match since December 2025, and he made a strong comeback after being out of action for three months. His fluent innings at the Wankhede Stadium showed he was back in form.
Rahane expressed satisfaction with his performance to reporters. He said, “I’m really happy with how I’m batting right now. I’m not here to show anyone how talented I am. Let them talk; I’m focused on improving my game in T20 cricket.”
Despite Rahane’s strong showing, Mumbai Indians won the match convincingly thanks to fifties from Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma. KKR scored 220 in their 20 overs, with contributions from half-centuries by Angkrish Raghuvanshi and a late cameo by Rinku Singh.
Rahane believed 220 was a good total, thinking KKR could have reached around 240. However, Mumbai’s star bowler Jasprit Bumrah restricted them in the death overs, taking crucial wickets with only 19 runs conceded in his two overs.
Rahane praised Bumrah, saying, “We thought 220 was a good target, but Bumrah made a big difference in those last two overs. I know why he’s considered such a great bowler.”