Difficulties are increasing for Kolkata Knight Riders. This team, captained by Ajinkya Rahane, has played 5 matches in IPL 2026, but their winning account has not opened. KKR also got the first point due to the cancellation of the match with Punjab. In the 22nd match of the edition on Tuesday, Chennai Super Kings defeated Kolkata by 32 runs. While chasing 193 runs, Kolkata could score only 160 runs. After the defeat, Rahane said that it is really difficult not to win the match.
KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane defended the bowlers. He said, “I think we performed very well in terms of bowling. The score of 190 runs on this wicket of Chepauk was very good. The way their batsmen performed in the powerplay, after that it was a big thing to restrict them to 190 runs. Our scoring of 36-37 runs in the powerplay proved to be important in terms of the outcome of the match.”
It is really difficult not to win the match – Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane further said, “We needed a batsman who would stay till the end. This would have kept our chances of winning. Talking about the team’s combination, the combination we tried in the last match and this match was very good. It is really difficult not to win the match. In this situation, we have to maintain our morale and courage. If the results are not in your favour, then you have to consider the team’s combination. But The most important thing is to stay positive and keep your spirits up.”
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Rahane praised Kartik Tyagi
In this match played in Chennai, Kolkata fast bowlers Vaibhav Arora and Cameron Green proved to be expensive, but Karthik Tyagi was economical with them and also took 2 wickets. Vaibhav Arora gave away 55 runs in 4 overs, Cameron Green gave away 30 runs in 2 overs. Karthik took 2 wickets for 35 runs in 4 overs. Ajinkya Rahane praised Karthik. He said, “He is bowling very well. Full credit goes to him for this. The speed at which he is bowling is commendable. With every match, he is improving his game even more.”