The Ajinkya Rahana-led side is languishing at the bottom of the table after six games with zero wins.
Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) abysmal run in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season continued as they suffered a five-wicket defeat at the hands of Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad on Friday (April 17).
The Ajinkya Rahana-led side is languishing at the bottom of the table after six games with zero wins and only one point due to a rain-abandoned match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Eden Gardens.
Despite their dismal campaign so far, a reporter congratulated Rahane in the post-match presser for the hard work he has put to turn things around.
The unexpected compliment prompted an epic response from the captain, who has been facing heavy criticism.
The reporter said, "Congratulations first for your hard work."
Rahane reacted with a smile, saying: "Thank you so much, ma'am. Thank you. Someone has finally appreciated me for my hard work."
When asked about the takeaway from these disappointing results, Rahane maintained that the team is focused on learning from mistakes and adapting in subsequent matches.
"Every day is a learning experience, ma'am. Whether we win or lose, I feel every day when we go onto the field, be it a game or a practice session, it's all about learning. From this game and the last five, the lesson is about winning key moments as a team, whether as a batting or bowling unit. The T20 format is all about winning those crucial moments. One good over here or there can change the game."
Rahane explicitly attributed the winless start to the relative inexperience of the KKR bowlers entrusted with the powerplay overs.
"It was tough. As I said, it is never easy to bowl in the powerplay. The guys bowling in the powerplay are inexperienced. That is the honest truth. But they are still giving their best. They are trying their hardest to pick up wickets, even if it isn't happening yet. Anukul Roy, Kartik Tyagi, and Vaibhav Arora are really putting in the effort. It also wasn't easy for the spinners to bowl in the powerplay," he said.
Rahane addressed the challenges faced by KKR’s raw pace attack when they come up against established GT openers like Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan.
"Sai and Shubman Gill are very good players of spin. Narine bowled a very good over, but for Anukul, it was really tough. We didn't have any other options for the powerplay. Cameron Green was struggling with massive cramps. We tried everything during those first six overs.
"They batted really well, but I'm happy with the way we pulled back the game after the seventh or eighth over. At one point, I thought they would chase down the target easily by the 16th or 17th over. I'm really proud of how the bowling unit fought back. It's never easy. When you are losing matches, it's very easy to feel down and focus on the negatives," he remarked.
Rahane expressed his determination to turn the season around by drawing inspiration from the Mumbai Indians' (MI) 2014 campaign, where they qualified for the playoffs despite losing their first five matches.
"I'm going to take a leaf out of the MI book. There is always hope, and you always want to stay positive rather than dwelling on the negative. I believe in being positive every single time. As a unit, we just have to stay in the moment rather than thinking too far ahead," he stated.