Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)’s nightmare run into the IPL 2026 season continued on Friday as they slumped to a resounding five-wicket defeat against Gujarat Titans (GT). While the scoreboard reflected a clinical chase led by Shubman Gill, the post-match discourse focused on KKR’s captaincy and a perceived lack of tactical “game awareness” under veteran Ajinkya Rahane.
The primary criticism came from legendary leg-spinner Anil Kumble, who highlighted the inability to utilize KKR’s biggest weapons – Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy – during the sub-par 180 GT chase.
Lack of awareness of the game
Talking about JioStar, Kumble was blunt about KKR’s inability to squeeze the Titans when it mattered most. Despite having two of the most economical spinners in the league, Rahane held them back while Gill powered GT to a massive 71/1 in the Powerplay.
“KKR lacked awareness of the game, especially in how they used their spinners. On a good surface, the only way to create pressure is by bowling in tandem, but Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy were rarely used together,” observed Kumble.
By the time Rahane turned to his slow bowler specialist, the required run rate had plummeted. Kumble argued that a winless team must be willing to gamble to change its fortunes.
“If you want to win from that position, you have to take risks, even early in the Powerplay. It doesn’t always work, but that’s the best chance you have to turn the game around.”
A tale of two superpowers
The match was effectively decided in the first six overs of each innings. Rocked by a fiery opening spell from Kagiso Rabada (3/29) and Mohammed Siraj (2/23), KKR limped to 37/3. Rahane personally set a poor tone and fell for a golden duck in the very first over to Siraj.
In stark contrast, Shubman Gill played a “dirty” innings of 86 off 50 balls, which ensured that the Titans never felt the pressure of the chase. While Cameron Green provided the only spark for KKR with a fighting 79 off 55 balls, he was often starved of strike as wickets fell around him.
Pressure problem
Even when KKR found minor breakthroughs like Sai Sudharsan’s wicket, they couldn’t sustain the pressure. Jos Buttler came in and immediately took the game away, further exposing KKR’s fielding setup and bowling changes.
KKR remain winless and rooted to the bottom of the table, the pressure on Rahane’s leadership is mounting. As Kumble suggested, the “economical” spells from Narine and Chakravartha ultimately came up empty as they came after “the game had already progressed”.
To break their streak, KKR need to shift from defensive protection to aggressive risk-taking before the game slips out of their hands.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
18 April 2026 15:53 IST
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