IPL 2026 | 'The amount of success I got, I guess they’re jealous of me...': Ajinkya Rahane

KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane. Pic/IPL

Ajinkya Rahane is feeling the heat as summer approaches full ferocity. To add insult to injury, Rahane was fined R12 lakh after Kolkata Knight Riders failed to bowl their overs in time in their 32-run loss against Chennai Super Kings.

KKR have yet to register a win after five attempts, and it was only rain that spared them the ignominy of a perfect record of losses. Against the Punjab Kings, at the Eden Gardens, with rain forecast, they inexplicably chose to bat first when the weather saved them the blushes.

Rahane has been uncharacteristically tetchy all season. When asked why KKR's Rs 25.2-crore signing - the most expensive foreign player in the IPL - was not bowling, Rahane snapped: "That question you need to ask Cricket Australia." The response was swift, with CA clarifying that KKR were well aware that Green was not yet at full bowling fitness.

Then, almost unprompted, Rahane fired a salvo. "I've had one of the best strike-rates since 2011. The people who're talking about me, probably [they're] not watching the matches, or they've certain other targets, they don't like me playing. The amount of success I got, I guess they're jealous of me."

Rahane has an excellent strike-rate in the Powerplay, but this falls off sharply in the middle overs, and to suggest anyone is jealous of a captain who has steered his team to the bottom of the points table is questionable. What is less of a debate is that the presence of Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi in the top four is not working. Neither batsman figures in the top 25 when it comes to strike-rates.

It's true that KKR have genuine reasons to be struggling. Their bowling attack was kneecapped before the tournament began. Harshit Rana and Akash Deep were both injured, Mustafizur Rahman was pulled out for non-cricket reasons, and Matheesha Pathirana missed the first five matches through a delayed fitness test and related No Objection Certificate from Sri Lanka Cricket.

Yet Rahane has not looked himself, as a leader, all tournament. In the Ranji Trophy and on the occasion when he has led India in Test cricket, Rahane has proven to be a terrific leader. His marshalling of resources, nimble changes of field, juggling of bowlers, and man management have all shown him in a good light.

But, while time is on your side in red-ball cricket, and the mandate is crystal clear, even for a stand-in captain, leading a team in the IPL is a different beast. The responsibility of answering to team owners [and fans] and the influence of coaches begs the question: whose team is this?

At the moment, it does not appear to be Rahane's, but a win against the Gujarat Titans may change that.

Five
No. of matches KKR have won under Ajinkya Rahane's captaincy since 2025; they have lost 11, while three games were washed out

139.50
Ajinkya Rahane's strike-rate in the IPL since 2024; the opener has scored 784 runs off 562 balls in 31 matches