Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) suffered a six-wicket defeat in their IPL 2026 opener against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday (March 29).
Invited to bat first, skipper Ajinkya Rahane hit a fine half-century (67 off 40), and Angkrish Raghuvanshi lit up the stadium with a 29-ball 51 to help KKR post 220/4 in 20 overs.
In reply, Ryan Rickelton smashed 81 off 43, while Rohit Sharma hammered 78 off 38 as MI overhauled the target with five deliveries to spare.
After the loss, Rahane admitted suffering from severe calf cramps due to high humidity in Mumbai, but said he was feeling okay overall and happy with his batting performance.
According to Rahane, they racked up a good total on the board but lost due to an inexperienced bowling attack facing a strong MI lineup.
“I’m still young, 37, I’m still young, feeling good, but yeah, struggling with my cramps. It happens in Mumbai, a lot of humidity, but really happy the way I’m batting at the moment," Rahane said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
“I thought 220-225 was a good total. We batted really well, but again, the inexperienced bowling attack, especially playing against MI’s strong batting lineup, it’s a really learning curve for us," he added.
Rahane commended the efforts of the inexperienced KKR bowling lineup and expressed hope for all-rounder Cameron Green to start bowling soon to balance the side.
When questioned about Green not bowling, the KKR captain bluntly suggested asking Cricket Australia.
“Apart from Vaibhav, Karthik, Muzarabani, haven’t been used to IPL, two experienced spinners, but I thought Mumbai Indians batted well. So our bowlers will definitely learn," Rahane stated.
“I think when Green starts to bowl soon, the combination will slightly be different. At the moment, we have to see the balance, guys who can bowl well for us, batting-wise, as I said, we batted really well, but finding that balance with the ball is really important."
“A lot of positives from the batting side. I thought Kartik bowled well, played a game after a while. I thought he was really good. So yes, as I said, a lot of positives and lots to learn as well."
“So hopefully, Green starts to bowl soon. As to why he’s not bowling yet, that’s the question you need to ask to Cricket Australia," he concluded.
