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Ajinkya Rahane isn’t worried about proving himself and is happy with the way he started his IPL campaign on Sunday night.
Ajinkya Rahane began this IPL 2026 with a quickfire half-century. (PTI Photo)
Ajinkya Rahane isn’t interested in proving himself after nearly two-decades of playing cricket professionally. The Kolkata Knight Riders captain began his IPL 2026 with a quickfire half-century against Mumbai Indians on Sunday night, but it wasn’t to show his critics that he can continue to deliver at this level but it’s a reflection of his own growth as a cricketer.
“Let people talk about me. They have been talking about me since like what, 20 years now. Let them talk,” Rahane told reporters when asked if his 40-ball 67 was a statement especially for those in Mumbai’s cricket circuit.
“I am really happy with the way I am batting at the moment. I am not here to show anyone how talented I am and what’s my game. People are watching. Let them watch. Let them talk,” he added.
Rahane said he’s happy with his form in white-ball cricket.
“But I am really happy, in the last 2-3 years, (in the) white ball formats (with) the way I have improved my game. It’s important to grow as a cricketer, as a batsman, and that’s what I am trying to do. People will keep talking and let them talk,” the 37-year-old said.
Rahane limped off during KKR‘s unsuccessful defense of 221 and admitted he wasn’t happy at having no control over the proceedings as he watched from the dug-out.
“I was just cramping. It’s a very bad feeling to sit outside with the cramps and you don’t have any control when the bowlers were bowling, it’s a bad feeling but first I’m really happy the way I batted,” he said.
Rahane praised MI talisman Jasprit Bumrah for producing another tight spell towards the end which prevented KKR to get the total they were eyeing.
“We all thought initially 220 (220/4) was a good total, we were on the path to get around 235-240 but those two overs from Bumrah made a lot of difference, you know why he’s such a great bowler,” he said.
Rahane defended his inexperienced bowling attack and is hopeful of them getting better as the tournament progresses.
“With our bowling attack, the guys are really inexperienced. Vaibhav (Arora), who did well in the last year, he’s actually leading the attack and then (we have) Karthik Tyagi and (Blessing) Muzarabani, though he has played international cricket but the IPL experience is completely different,” Rahane said.
“It is challenging because our bowlers are injured. But again, there is an opportunity for other players to show up and do really well and make a name for themselves. As I said, Karthik, Vaibhav, Muzarabani, Saurabh (Dubey), we got Umran (Malik) as well. Navdeep Saini, who has been really impressive during practise sessions and matches. Unfortunately, Cameron Green cannot bowl at this moment. When he starts bowling, the combination will be slightly different,” he added.
It was a forgettable outing for the experienced Varun Chakaravarthy too as he leaked 48 runs in four wicketless overs.
“Every player goes through this phase. His (Varun) attitude is completely right; probably, opposition batters are playing him really well,” Rahane said.
“Coming from a high-intensity tournament (T20 World Cup) to another high-intensity tournament, it is challenging for any cricketer mentally. My only thing is (that) he should not think too much about what is happening,” he added.
March 30, 2026, 12:27 IST
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