"For me, it's all about contribution": KKR captain Rahane

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], March 23 (ANI): Ajinkya Rahane wasted no time in making a statement on his suitability in Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) batting lineup, delivering a stellar 56 off 31 balls in their IPL 2025 opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
However, there was little room to celebrate, as KKR ended up on the losing side. With their next game against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati on Wednesday, the focus is now on a swift comeback, as per ESPNcricinfo.
"I hope you all enjoyed my innings rather than me enjoying my batting," Rahane said at the post-match press conference, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"For me, it's all about contributing for the team and that's what matters to me. Whatever runs I score, it's always about the contribution. An innings of 56 on the winning side would have been really nice. But it's fine," he added.
Reflecting on the defeat, Rahane pointed to KKR's dramatic collapse in the latter half of their innings as the turning point. At 107/1 after ten overs, they seemed well on course for a total beyond 200, especially with Sunil Narine's 44 complementing Rahane's half-century. However, the middle order, usuallly the backbone of KKR's batting failed to capitalize, leading to a slump that saw them finish at 174/9.
Apart from Angkrish Raghuvanshi's 30 at number 5, contributions were minimal, and KKR managed a mere 23 runs in the last four overs. That proved costly, as RCB chased down the target with ease, winning with 22 balls to spare.
"It is the first game of the season and the batting line-up which we have, we have guys who like to go after the bowlers," Rahane said.
"As a team, I thought there are a few areas we did well and there's always areas we can improve," he added.
"I thought RCB bowled really well in the powerplay, but important was how they picked up wickets in the 13th and 14th overs [13th to 16th - they went from 125 for 3 to 150 for 6]. Those were crucial since that was the momentum-changer. I don't focus on all the negative things because this side has players who have done very well for this franchise in the past. So I'm going to back them. In the game tonight it didn't work out, but it's okay," he noted.
Rahane also defended the team's decision to back Quinton de Kock as their wicketkeeper-opener over Rahmanullah Gurbaz, despite de Kock enduring a rough IPL season in 2024.
"Gurbaz is a fantastic player but you cannot play everyone," Rahane said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"We have to fit the combination in that manner. So we thought as a team that the pair of Quinton and Sunil opening can be dangerous. You saw Phil Salt and Virat Kohli at the top of the other, two right-handers, so that [not following a left-right opening combination] doesn't matter," he added.
On the bowling front, he emphasized the need to support young pacers Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, and Spencer Johnson. While they struggled on the night, conceding a combined 105 runs in 8.2 overs for just one wicket, Rahane insisted that their past performances justified the faith in them, despite their relative inexperience.
"I don't believe in making too many changes," Rahane said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"[Anrich] Nortje has been coming out of an injury, and for fast bowlers it is a tough life. Harshit, Vaibhav and Spencer have been doing well. Spencer, with that left-arm angle, is different. So we made sure that we have that - a guy who can go with that left-arm angle with good pace. Vaibhav has also been doing really well," he noted.
"Harshit is a confident player and I would like to back players who has done well for the franchise. He's learning from each and every game, each and every season. It's always about showing that trust and faith in them. All three guys are equally good, and it was just one of those days. I'm sure they will bounce back," he said. (ANI)