Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane took the blame for the team’s failure to chase down 112 runs against Punjab Kings at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. He and Angkrish Raghuvanshi had a solid 60-run partnership, making it seem like KKR was on track to win. But everything changed when Yuzvendra Chahal got Rahane out, breaking their partnership.
I’ll take the blame; I played the wrong shot. I didn’t want to take a chance, and I wasn’t confident, Rahane said. The wicket wasn’t easy, and chasing 111 was doable, but we just batted poorly as a unit. The bowlers did well against a strong Punjab lineup. We were reckless and need to take responsibility. I’m disappointed and need to stay calm to figure out what to say to the guys.
Rahane opted not to review his LBW decision after talking to Raghuvanshi, but replays showed the ball would have missed the stumps. This led to a batting collapse, with KKR all out for just 95 runs in 15.1 overs.
There’s not much to say about the performance. We all witnessed it. I played the wrong shot, even though it wasn’t hitting the stumps. I discussed it with Angkrish, and he thought it could be the umpire’s call, but I didn’t want to risk it, Rahane explained.
He also mentioned that the team needs to own up to their performance. We really struggled as a batting unit. The bowlers did a great job holding Punjab to 111. It’s important to stay confident and positive as an individual.
Rahane criticized his teammates’ shot selection, saying they needed to make better choices at the crease. On this pitch, it’s better to use the full face of the bat. Sweeping was tough. We should keep our intent but play smarter shots. Right now, there’s a lot on my mind. That was a chase we should have handled easily. I need to collect my thoughts before talking to the team. There’s still half the tournament left, so we need to move on.
Chahal had a standout game with career-best figures of 4-28, while Marco Jansen took three wickets, helping Punjab Kings secure a narrow win. With this victory, Punjab now has eight points from six matches, moving to fourth place, while KKR sits sixth with six points from seven games.