Aaron Finch also advised the KKR captain to stop engaging in verbal battles with critics.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are winless after their first three games in the ongoing IPL 2026 season. While the three-time champions lost to Mumbai Indians (MI) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), their fixture against Punjab Kings got abandoned due to rain.
As a result, KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane has come under scrutiny. The criticism compounded after he made a baffling decision to bat first against PBKS on Monday (April 6), despite knowing that the Eden Gardens pitch had been under cover and that more rain was expected.
Speaking at the toss, his counterpart Shreyas Iyer admitted that he would have preferred to bowl first in such conditions.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, former Australian captain Aaron Finch slammed Rahane's choice to bat first after winning the toss, saying that it made "no sense."
"The one thing you can do is control the controllables. Winning the toss and electing to bat after the wicket has been under cover for a day, when you know there is rain in the air, makes absolutely no sense. How do you arrive at that decision? That is an alarm bell for me. It isn't just about being two wickets down for 25 runs; they shouldn't have been batting at all," Finch said.
He likened this poor decision-making to a player lacking confidence or making silly mistakes due to mental pressure.
"When you make the wrong decision despite having all the information, it's similar to a player being out of form. You can tell when someone's mind is a little scrambled. To me, this is a classic case of either overthinking or completely ignoring the facts," Finch added.
Finch also advised the KKR captain to stop engaging in verbal battles with critics, describing Rahane's "jealous" comment as a disappointing choice of words for a leader.
"Stop biting back at everyone who criticises you," Finch remarked. "You are a very good player, and you have a talented team. Continue to be aggressive at the top of the order. T20 is a hard game with many ups and downs. You scored 220 in the first game but lost the second; with your backs against the wall, the only way forward is to stay aggressive."
Notably, Ajinkya Rahane launched a fiery defense of his batting and leadership after KKR’s 65-run loss to SRH on April 2.
He dismissed concerns regarding his scoring pace, claiming he has had "one of the best strike rates" since 2023 and those criticizing him likely have a "certain agenda".
"My strike rate I think I have one of the best strike-rates so far. I think people who are talking about me are probably not watching the game or they have certain agendas against me. They don't like me playing, they don't like to watch me play," Rahane said in the post-match presser after scoring 8 off 10 balls against SRH.
"The amount of success I've had, I guess they are jealous of me. I'm not too worried. You guys know what I'm doing. Just one bad innings - well, 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 don't understand the game or want me to play a different kind of innings," he added.