Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane sent out an early statement ahead of IPL 2026, showing his intent with a blistering knock in a practice game. The veteran batsman smashed 58 off just 25 balls, bringing up his half-century in just 20 deliveries before voluntarily retiring to give other players time in the middle.Despite a disappointing 2025 campaign where KKR finished eighth with just five wins from 14 matches, the franchise continues to back Rahane as captain. The 37-year-old was their top run-scorer last season with 390 runs in 13 matches at an average of 35.45 and a strike rate of 147.73, even as the team struggled to defend their title.In the new season, Rahane has made it clear that he accepts this responsibility with a calm and optimistic outlook. “Every year there are different challenges as a player and also as a captain. Throughout my journey, I have learned to be positive every time, no matter the challenges,” he said during the team’s first media interaction.“I’ve been leading the team since last year and I’m really grateful to the franchise for giving me this responsibility to lead the team. I take everything in my stride, I take everything positively. There are always opportunities, there are challenges, you always see opportunities.”“My mindset throughout my career has always been that when I see challenges or specific things, if something is difficult, I look at it positively and try to do my best as a player and also as a captain,” he added.Taking lessons from last season, Rahane emphasized the importance of a strong start while maintaining consistency throughout the tournament. “As a team we would like to start this season really well,” he said.“It’s a long tournament and you don’t want to peak too early. As a team and also expectations from guys, you’re basically not looking for a perfect game. There’s going to be mistakes throughout the tournament.”“But as a unit we would like to play positive cricket. So as a unit, as a team management, we are really confident about who will do really well this season.”KKR enters IPL 2026 with an improved squad, especially in the batting department. The franchise parted ways with veteran players like Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer while making significant investments in the auction, including a record Rs 25.20 crore signing of Cameron Green.The new look team features aggressive options like Finn Allen and Tim Seifert along with Sunil Narine and Rahane at the top of the order.Despite the batting depth, Rahane chose not to reveal the team’s combinations. “The batting group we’ve got this year is amazing. I mean most of the batsmen are in good form. The guys from overseas are also in good, very good form. They’ve had a very good World Cup as well.”“Honestly, I’m not going to tell you the lineup, what lineup we’re going to go with, but like I said, all the hitters that are here right now are very good in the nick, very good in the nick, and that’s what we just started our camp with, so we’re really excited for the season,” he said.
