Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane was forced off the field with an apparent leg injury during the opening match of the IPL 2026 season against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on March 29.
Rahane fell leg-side just before the start of the fifth over in the Mumbai Indians chase. After receiving attention from the on-field physio, the KKR skipper made a cautious exit, causing immediate concern for the visiting side at the start of the match.
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In his absence, vice-captain Rinku Singh took over as stand-in captain on the field.
Earlier in the evening, Rahane led the way with the bat, scoring a smooth 67 off 40 deliveries. The seasoned right-hander hit three fours and five sixes and set the tone on a calm Wankhede surface as Kolkata Knight Riders posted a competitive 220 for 4 in their 20 overs.
Rahane found solid support from youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who put together a fine-tuned 51, while Finn Allen provided the first impetus with a blistering 37 off 17 balls. The trio ensured that KKR maintained a high scoring rate throughout the innings.
The Mumbai Indians bowling unit struggled to maintain the flow of runs for much of the innings. Shardul Thakur proved to be a standout performer with figures of 3 for 39, which brought the crucial breakthrough to stop the KKR men.
Senior pacers Trent Boult (0/38) and Jasprit Bumrah (0/35) went wicketless, although Bumrah’s disciplined spells at the death ensured KKR remained in control and prevented the total from approaching the 250 mark.
Rahane started aggressively and wristed Bouult for a six over wide long-on in the opening over. The momentum grew further when Hardik Pandya escaped for 26 runs in the fourth over, with Rahane and Allen capitalizing on erratic lines and lengths.
KKR raced to 78 for 1 at the end of the powerplay and crossed the 100-run mark in eight overs, with Rahane hitting over 200 at one stage and looking like a three-figure score.
However, Thakur’s double strikes through the spells dented KKR’s momentum. He first removed Allen caught by Tilak Varma at long-on before dismissing Cameron Green with a well-directed short and wide delivery that resulted in a sharp catch by Sherfan Rutherford.
Thakur later came back to fool Rahane with a slower cross-seam outside off, prompting a mistimed shot that Pandya took safely at cover.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
March 29, 2026 10:18 PM IST
