‘He can neither smash the bowling, nor anchor the innings’

Kris Srikkanth questioned Ajinkya Rahane’s position in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) aspect forward of their opening conflict in IPL 2026 in opposition to the Mumbai Indians (MI) on Sunday, March 29, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Rahane is about to steer KKR for the second straight season. Last 12 months, he was the highest run-getter for KKR. However, the three-time champions completed a disappointing eighth. This time, they’ve assembled a stronger aspect, however Srikkanth feels that Rahane may block a place at the high of the batting order, including that he can neither smash the bowlers nor anchor the innings

“Ajinkya Rahane is going to be a huge problem for them. Coming and opening, he is going to block that slot. He is playing because he’s the captain. If you think about it, he can neither smash the bowling nor anchor the innings like Virat Kohli. He surprised us in 2023, but even before that, he didn’t do well for a long time. That’s the missing link for KKR,” Srikkanth mentioned in a video on his YouTube channel.

“What is the value he is going to add as a player?” – Kris Srikkanth on Ajinkya Rahane

Srikkanth reiterated that KKR may wrestle with Rahane at the high of the order, highlighting his struggles with the bat since the 2023 version of the IPL, the place his explosive batting performed a key position in the Chennai Super Kings’ triumph.

“He is playing and possibly opening only because he has to compulsorily play as the captain. Even last year, he didn’t do very well for KKR. He is playing as a captain but what is the value he is going to add as a player? He did brilliantly for CSK in 2023 and won them the title. But the last two years, he has not done anything great. That’s where KKR are stuck,” mentioned Srikkanth (by way of the aforementioned supply).

KKR have two in-form openers in Finn Allen and Tim Seifert of their lineup. However, if Rahane opens, solely one in every of them will most likely discover a place in the enjoying XI. The KKR captain, nevertheless, wouldn’t wish to block the outdoors voices for now and deal with giving his finest for the Kolkata-based franchise.

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