KKR have zero wins after four games.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are reeling at ninth place on the IPL 2026 table after losing three out of four games. Led by Ajinkya Rahane, the franchise has only one point thanks to a washed out fixture against Punjab Kings. On Thursday, they lost a last-ball thriller to Lucknow Super Giants after being in a winning position.
KKR are plagued with several issues, including Matheesha Pathirana and Harshit Rana injuries, which has depleted their bowling attack severely. The batting unit has also struggled to produce a collective performance. Naturally, there is criticism from the fans and experts towards the team management, players, and the captain.
The Knight Riders skipper recently hit back at the critics, calling them ‘jealous’ of his success. Rahane iterated that he has been one of the best batters in the league in recent years. While he has not been anywhere near the best overall batters, he has done well in the powerplay.
Since IPL 2023, Rahane has struck at 167.53 in overs 1 to 6. Among batters with at least 250 runs during field restrictions in this period, Rahane has the eighth best strike rate. The problem starts after the field is spread. Outside the powerplay, his scoring rate drops down to 137. This slowing down affects the team’s momentum.
There is no doubt that Rahane has been their best performing batter since last season. But having him in the side puts limitations on their optimum team strategy. Let’s start with Angkrish Raghuvanshi. He has been batting at number three or four, and they obviously think of him as the future star. He has shown glimpses of his ability but he is a slow starter. Often he ends up batting alongside Rahane, and the team’s scoring rate takes a hit.
The KKR unit is fundamentally flawed. They have made massive mistakes in the auctions that are hurting them badly. Whether it’s splashing huge money on Venkatesh Iyer in 2025 or not even pushing for him till INR 10 crore in the 2026 auction. The result is they do not have a left-hand batter in the top four.
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Many fans have been asking for Sunil Narine to be used as an opener, where he has had success. But if KKR go that route, their middle overs will be worse than they are currently.
Rahane’s value outside the powerplay is pretty low while Raghuvanshi, Cameron Green, and Rinku Singh take their time to settle in. Moving Narine up would mean pushing down others. And number 3-5 of Rahane, Raghuvanshi, and Green would be disastrous.
As mentioned earlier, it’s a flawed squad with no real fix for it. If they try solving one, another area gets disrupted. Having two anchors in the top four that you can not move down has left KKR with little to no room for flexibility.
If this continues, they soon will be in a position where they have to decide. The management has to make a call on whether Rahane is still the man to lead the team. Or should they be more ruthless and hand over the captaincy to Rinku Singh.
KKR have Tejasvi Dahiya on the bench, who is an excellent hitter. With Rinku not in great form, they are in need of more power in the lower middle order. Dahiya could provide that but they need to find a way to get him in.
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