“Ajinkya Rahane is going to be a huge problem for KKR”: Ex-BCCI selector drops bombshell

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4 hours ago

Ex-BCCI selector K Srikkanth believes that Ajinkya Rahane is not of any use for Kolkata Knight Riders as he can’t attack or anchor the innings for his team. This shocking remark came just before the first game of KKR against the Mumbai Indians, which will be played today.

After a surprising release of Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane was made the captain of the side, looking at the maturity, experience, and the games he has played in the IPL. However, he failed to perform as expected and finished in 8th position last time on the points table.

Can Ajinkya Rahane be a big problem for KKR?

Ajinkya Rahane is one of the most experienced players and a senior player in the team. Due to this, he was handed the captaincy role for a completely new side full of young players. His years of domestic experience, international cricket, and IPL are going to really benefit the young side. However, it’s not yet clear how he is going to play this season after failing to perform in the last one by scoring just 390 runs in 13 games at an average of 35.

Talking about Rahane’s performance, Srikkanth said, “Ajinkya Rahane is going to be a huge problem for them. Coming and opening, he is going to block that slot. He is playing because he’s the captain. If you think about it, he can neither smash the bowling nor anchor the innings like Virat Kohli. He surprised us in 2023, but even before that, he didn’t do well for a long time. That’s the missing link for KKR.”

Out of 18 editions of IPL, Ajinkya Rahane has represented 6 teams till now in his IPL career, where he has passed the 5000 runs mark in 198 games of IPL at an average of 30.

KKR’s Captaincy Dilemma: Srikkanth Critiques Player’s Form

Being the captain of the side, it’s clear that he will be part of the playing XI. However, what worries everyone is what he will contribute to KKR as a batter, as last year he failed to perform in both formats. Rahane’s limited range of shots at the start of the innings is unlikely to benefit KKR in the powerplay, where they need someone who can attack from the very first ball, alongside Sunil Narine.

Rahane tends to take time to settle, and even after that, he has a very limited repertoire of shots against bowlers, which is not suitable for the demands of modern T20 cricket. Today, players must have power-hitting ability, and even those who didn’t have it earlier, like Virat Kohli, have changed their game.

“He is playing and possibly opening only because he has to compulsorily play as the captain. Even last year, he didn’t do very well for KKR. He is playing as a captain, but what is the value he is going to add as a player? He did brilliantly for CSK in 2023 and won them the title. But in the last two years, he has not done anything great. That’s where KKR are stuck,” said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).

Ajinkya Rahane’s Form Against the Mumbai Indians

Despite being out of form recently, Ajinkya Rahane holds an impressive record against the Mumbai Indians. In 28 matches against MI, Rahane has scored over 700 runs at an average of more than 30, including five 50+ scores. This shows that he has the ability to perform against one of the strongest franchises in the IPL.

Also read: Manish Pandey joins Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma in the legendary IPL list

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