Two defeats on the trot have put Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Ajinkya Rahane under pressure. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Rahane was visibly miffed when a reporter asked about the criticism around his strike rate. Rahane, who scored 8 runs off 10 balls before being dismissed against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, wasn’t happy seeing his playing style being questioned. The KKR captain said that his strike rate is among the best since 2023 and the chatter around his style of play is nothing but ‘agenda’.
“I think I have one of the best strike rates so far from 2023,” Rahane told media. “People who are talking about me (are) probably not watching the game or they have a certain agenda against me. They don’t like me playing. They don’t like to watch me play,” he added.
Rahane, who was named the skipper of the Knight Riders franchise in IPL 2025, finished the campaign with 390 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 147.73, but failed to take his team to playoffs. Hitting out at his critics, Rahane said that the chatter around his strike rate is agenda as some people are ‘jealous’ of him.
“The amount of success which I got, I guess they are jealous of me. I am not too worried. You guys know what I am doing. Just one bad innings…not a bad innings, but my intent was there. Sometimes as a batter, you don’t get that rhythm, you don’t get that flow. People who are talking, either they don’t understand the game (or) I think they want me to play a different kind of innings,” he added.
PEOPLE ARE JEALOUS OF ME
Ajinkya Rahane :- My strike rate speaks for itself this season. If people still question it, maybe they’re not really following the games or just have their own opinions to push. Not everyone enjoys my style of play, and that’s fine. But the success… pic.twitter.com/yUnAQ4lECe
— Muffatball vikrant (@Vikrant_1589) April 3, 2026
Rahane has worked hard on his game in the shortest format since joining the Chennai Super Kings in 2023. He finished that season with 326 runs at an impressive strike rate of 172.49. But, the 2024 campaign wasn’t the most fruitful as it saw Rahane only manage 242 runs at a modest strike rate of 123.47. He was released by Chennai after this underwhelming season and joined KKR in 2025.
“They didn’t expect that Ajinkya Rahane will basically prove his game this much. So I am happy they are talking about me, negative or positive, either way. I am really happy that they are talking. Let them talk,” he said.