“First of all congratulations on your hard work.
In the sterile, high-pressure environment of a post-match press conference, those six words felt like a lifeline. For Ajinkya Rahane, the dejected captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders squad currently sinking without a trace, the comment was as unexpected as it was welcome. GT vs KKR: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD
“Thank you very much, thank you,” Rahane replied, a glimmer of genuine emotion breaking through his usually stoic exterior.
“Someone really appreciated my hard work.
It was a rare moment of relief amid the deafening din of a campaign that had collapsed. For the veteran, who has spent the last month dodging questions about KKR’s strike rate and tactical mistakes, the simple recognition of his effort seemed to weigh more than the two points lost on the field.
But the warmth of that exchange failed to mask the chill of the league table. KKR’s visit to Gujarat resulted in their fifth defeat in six matches, a stunning slump that left them the only winless side in IPL 2026. At the Narendra Modi Stadium, the story was tragically familiar. Despite a flurry of early wickets, the Knight Riders bowling unit failed to tighten the noose, allowing the Titans to gallop home with overs to spare.
Rahane, dismissed cheaply early in the innings, looked like a man carrying the world on his shoulders during the chase. When asked what he could take away from such a sustained period of failure, he remained philosophical.
“He’s learning every day,” Rahane noted. “Whether we win or lose, whenever we go on the field, whether it’s a match or practice, it’s all about learning. It’s about winning the key moments as a batsman or a bowler. T20 is all about winning the key moments. Like I said, we just want to keep trying and give our best.”
LACK OF GAME SENSE?
For KKR, key moments are disappearing like a mirage at the moment.
KKR chose to bat first and KKR’s innings got off to a disastrous start. Breathing fire on a spicy Ahmedabad deck, Mohammed Siraj removed Ajinkya Rahane for a golden duck with a peach of an outswinger off the very first delivery.
The top order crumbled under constant pressure from the Titans in the Powerplay, but Cameron Green proved to be a lone warrior. His counter-attack of 79 off 46 balls, studded with seven towering sixes, took KKR to a competitive 180.
KKR looked set to get past the 200 mark but Green remained trapped in the deadly operations as his partners battled for game awareness and stroke rotation. He managed just four run-offs off 11 deliveries in the last five overs, a phase in which KKR added just 32 runs and lost five wickets.
However, the total proved insufficient against a disciplined Titans chase. Shubman Gill anchored the innings with a majestic 86, punishing anything short or wide. While KKR’s spinners briefly stemmed the tide in the middle overs, Gill’s composure ensured the target was never truly out of reach.
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– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
18 Apr 2026 11:32 IST
