'We'll come back stronger' – Rahane after KKR's tough season

Kolkata Knight Riders finished eighth in the 2025 campaign, capping off a disappointing season with a crushing 110-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad – their heaviest loss in IPL history.

Reflecting on the campaign, skipper Ajinkya Rahane chose not to be too critical of his team and instead threw his weight behind the KKR squad. We had our moments, we had our chances… as a unit, we didn't play well, really well."

Rahane highlighted the team's preparation and effort, saying "What I can say is, we'll come back really stronger next year."

The bowling department had its fair share of concerns, with the spin duo of Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine carrying the bowling attack. Rahane acknowledged the challenges faced by the bowlers did well throughout the season.

The major issue KKR's batting was in the middle overs of the innings. Rahane struggled due to his preference for pace on the ball. Venkatesh Iyer endured a horrid season, and Rinku Singh was a pale shadow of the player he was in 2023 and 2024.

Rahane acknowledged the shortcomings this season and opined that a lot of the issues were related to the mindset rather than the skills of players. "See, sometimes what happens is, you know, when you have a couple of good seasons, as an individual, you put a lot of expectation on yourself. You put pressure on yourself."

Rahane's position in the batting order was also a constant point of discussion, given his deficiencies against spin in the middle overs. He stressed on the team combination as a key factor behind this move.

Rahane defended his teammate Venkatesh Iyer, who endured a difficult season, saying "What I can say is, you know, if a player gets 20 plus crore or if a player gets 1 or 2 crore or 3 or 4 crore, your attitude doesn't change on the field. That's what matters."