Rahane points to batting failures in KKR's poor IPL finish, vows to come back stronger
The Hindu
KKR captain Rahane blames underwhelming batting performances for team's disappointing IPL season, vows to come back stronger next year.
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane said underwhelming batting performances by key players like Rinku Singh and Andre Russell, was the main reason for the defending champions' disappointing eighth-place finish this IPL season.
Rahane said while the bowling unit largely met expectations, the failure of three-four main batters derailed their campaign. KKR's season ended with a crushing 110-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Monday (May 26, 2025).
"It's just that for us as a team, three-four guys were out of form. Where we faltered was at the batting end. As a batting unit, collectively, we couldn't do well," Rahane said during the post-match media interaction.
"Unfortunately, two-three players were going through that phase for us. And that was the reason we couldn't do well...But again, they are pretty much experienced enough to handle this situation.
"I'm sure they will come back stronger next year...Rinku (Singh), Raman (Ramandeep Singh), all the players, they will learn from the mistakes and come back stronger."
Venkatesh Iyer (average 20.28), Andre Russell (18.55), Rinku (29.42), and Ramandeep (9.40), who played key roles in KKR's 2024 title triumph, failed to replicate their form this season, hurting the team's prospects.
On Sunday (May 25, 2025), Sunrisers Hyderabad piled a massive 278/3 -- the third-highest total in IPL history — on the back of Heinrich Klaasen's 37-ball century, before bowling out KKR for 168.
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