The Mumbai stalwart has been a force to reckon with in domestic cricket.
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have retained Ajinkya Rahane for the 19th edition of the IPL. They have certainly press the reset button, and are set to go into the IPL 2026 auction with the maximum purse (over INR 60 Crore). The franchise parted ways with Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer, who have been instrumental to the success of the three-time champions.
Not just that! Sources state that the Mumbai stalwart is set to lead the Kolkata Knight Riders for the second successive season after falling short of the qualification race the last time around. The three-time IPL champions played well in patches last season, but could not capitalise on the big moments to clinch games, which cost them the playoffs spot.
One of the players that the franchise would be very excited for would be Rovman Powell. The West Indian power-hitter has been on a roll in the ILT20 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Moreover, he released a statement saying that he was extremely pleased to see his name being retained by KKR, and that he would repay their faith with brilliant performances. With Andre Russell no more in the mix, the KKR management would hope for nothing short of that.
The franchise has a lot of holes to fill, but their problems are directly proportional to their purse they have – which would not be a problem at all. By deciding on their skipper before the auction, the management has done a wonderful job of getting one headache out of the way before December 16. The Men in Purple & Gold also released Quinton de Kock, Mayank Markande and Rahmanullah Gurbaz amongst others.
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While the franchise could have gone on to acquire the services of a player in the IPL 2026 auction, who could have become a skipper, they chose not to. Instead, they will mostly stick to Ajinkya Rahane, who led the team in the last season itself. Though the performances did not reflect in the 19th edition, it is a good sign of trust by the franchise towards the 37-year-old.
To add to that, Ajinkya Rahane has been in amazing form in the domestic circuit for Mumbai. In the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), Rahane is two runs short of the 300-run mark with an average of almost 50. Additionally, his strike-rate is healthy, which reads 156.84. Rahane has made a clear shift in his approach, which allows him to play freely and take the attack to the opposition.
One thing which stands out for the former India skipper is his ability to play proper cricketing shots, scoring good runs. The Mumbai player does not feel the need to go out of his comfort zone in order to fetch runs – which is one of the most desirable qualities for a batter in the top-order.
If the Kolkata Knight Riders are looking for an opener alongside the likes of Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane would probably walk in at No.4, provided they keep Angkrish Raghuvanshi at the third spot. But with the funds that KKR have, they can bolster their middle-order with a player like Cameron Green, which would allow Rahane to open the innings alongside Sunil Narine.
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