Ajinkya Rahane was the lone source of runs as Kolkata Knight Riders continue to struggle with the bat in IPL 2025. Chasing a mammoth 199 to win, the hosts saw their batting crumble once again at Eden Gardens. Captain Ajinkya Rahane offered sole resistance on a tricky wicket, with his 3rd half-century of IPL 2025 on Monday.
Rahane slams 50 as KKR struggle again
Coming in to bat after Rahmanullah Gurbaz fell in the first over, Ajinkya Rahane consolidated the innings. The KKR skipper kept the scoreboard ticking with a couple of boundaries off Prasidh Krishna. After a couple of quiet overs, Rahane took the initiative, taking on the rusty Washington Sundar.
Rahane hit a lofted extra cover drive then followed it up with a slog sweep for a maximum. He reached his half-century of 35 balls, comprising five boundaries and a maximum. It was his 3rd fifty of IPL 2025, leading with example as rest of the KKR order struggled.
Just when he was primed for a big knock, things fell flat. He was soon dismissed right after, with Sundar deceiving him with a turn. The KKR captain charged down the track, and Washington just darted wide outside off stump with Jos Buttler stumping him out.
Rahane’s own struggles vs spin
While Ajinkya Rahane scored a fifty, he struck at less than 150, in a game where his team were chasing 199. While the conditions on offer were tricky and difficult, the KKR skipper’s approach to take the game deep did not pay dividends. Rahane struck at a strike-rate of 138.89. In comparison, Gill and Sudharsan, who scored fifties for GT earlier, were striking at 163.64 and 144.44 respectively.
Against spin, the veteran’s strike rate drops further. While he did take on Sundar, his dismissal of the off-spinner was his 5th in IPL 2025. He strikes at 123.45 against spin, with a massive 30% of his balls being dots.
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