Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane is enduring a difficult campaign in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), with both on-field performances and disciplinary issues compounding the team’s struggles. KKR slumped to yet another defeat in the 19th edition of the tournament, this time against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, further extending their poor run of form.
Rahane was penalised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India for maintaining a slow over-rate during the match. As per Article 2.22 of the IPL Code of Conduct, which governs minimum over-rate violations, this was classified as KKR’s first offence of the season.
Rahane is not alone in facing such disciplinary action this season. Shreyas Iyer was the first captain to be fined after Punjab Kings (PBKS) committed repeated over-rate breaches, resulting in fines of INR 12 lakh and INR 24 lakh. Shubman Gill, leading Gujarat Titans (GT), and Ruturaj Gaikwad of CSK were also fined INR 12 lakh each for their respective first offences.
Batting is letting KKR down: Aakash Chopra after loss to CSK
From a performance standpoint, KKR’s campaign has been underwhelming. The three-time champions are yet to register a win in their first five matches. They suffered defeats against Mumbai Indians (MI) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), while their match against Punjab ended in a washout. Subsequent losses to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and CSK have left them languishing at the bottom of the points table.
The bigger concern is their ongoing losing streak. KKR have now lost six consecutive IPL matches, stretching back to the previous season. This equals their second-worst run in the tournament’s history, previously recorded in 2019. Their worst phase remains the nine-match losing streak during the 2009 season.
Speaking about last night’s game, CSK scored 192/5 on the back of Sanju Samson’s 48 and Dewald Brevis’ 41. From KKR, Kartik Tyagi took 2/35 in his four overs. During the chase, the Kolkata-based franchise were able to score 160 where Ramandeep Singh top scored with 35 runs while rest of the batting lineup did not fire well enough to take the team to cross the finishing lines.
