It was another IPL 2026 match for Kolkata Knight Riders and another defeat. Ajinkya Rahane and the KKR team management really need to fix their campaign, as they remain winless after six matches with just one point. Now they also need Lady Luck to favour them if they want to qualify for the playoffs. On Friday in Ahmedabad, it was the same for KKR, which crashed to a five-wicket defeat against Gujarat Titans.
There were some positives, like Cameron Green finally finding some momentum, but they weren’t enough, as the franchise looked like they were out of ideas right from the start. It was perfectly reflected when Green was batting and nearing his ton. Instead of supporting him and giving him strike, his teammates came and left, failing to form any kind of partnership.
Brainfade batting by KKR
What made it worse was that those batters didn’t need to go for big shots, and they just needed to hand strike to Green, who was in good hitting form. The only decent partnership Green had was with Rovman Powell. But after Powell departed in the 11th over for 27 off 20 balls, the rest of KKR’s batters made it seem like brainfade batting.
Anukul Roy, who came after Powell, was caught behind for nine off seven balls in the 15th over. Then Rinku Singh (1), one of the most important members within the squad, tried to go for a big shot in his second delivery and was dismissed by Kagiso Rabada in the 16th over. Then Ramandeep Singh (17) made a small contribution, scoring 17 off eight balls, but he too tried to take an attacking approach and paid for it in the 17th over, losing his wicket to Ashok Sharma. Sunil Narine, one of the most senior members of the squad, was expected to provide some maturity, but even he tried for a big shot and was dismissed for a five-ball duck in the 18th over. Meanwhile, Kartik Tyagi (6) was run out in the 19th over.
Then, in the final over, Green had the biggest brain fade! The over began with two dots as Rashid Khan kept it tight. Then Green took a single, which surprised fans and experts as KKR were 175/9 and Arora wasn’t a batter. It was followed by Arora giving back strike due to leg byes. In the fifth delivery, there was a missed stumping as the ball went past both the batter and the wicketkeeper for a four. In the final ball, Green outside edged the delivery to Buttler, departing for 79 off 55 balls as KKR were bowled out for 180.
The match also saw Tim Seifert replace Finn Allen in the playing XI as an opener. But the gamble flopped as he lost his wicket to Rabada for 19 off 14 balls. Meanwhile, skipper Rahane was dismissed for a golden duck.
On the bowling front, KKR were poor, despite Varun Chakaravarthy finally finding some form. The Indian spinner took two wickets in four overs, conceding 34 runs. But it was actually Ramandeep Singh’s display in the final that stood out, as it almost forced the match into a Super Over.
Ajinkya Rahane reacts to winless streak
KKR really need to get their campaign back on track, and Rahane will be wondering how to do that. Speaking after the match, he said, “I think it’s all about being in the moment, you know. When things are not going your way, you tend to think too many things. I feel it’s all about being in the moments. Just try and go out there, enjoy the game. Back ourself as a unit rather than thinking about the things which are not in our control. I think as a team, we just have to go out there, play our game. And that’s what we wanted to do today. Just be aggressive, be positive from ball number one.”
