Ajinkya Rahane is not one to be explosive behind the microphone. That changed, a wee bit, on Thursday after Kolkata Knight Riders skipper addressed the media after their 65-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the ongoing IPL 2026.He was asked about his opening partnership with Finn Allen and the anchor-aggressor role between them. He was further probed on the ‘outside noise’ around his strike rate, especially against spin.
Rahane, who scored just 8 off 10 balls, didn’t hold back as KKR suffered their second straight loss of the season.“I think I have one of the best strike rates so far from 2023,” he said. “People who are talking about me (are) probably not watching the game or they have a certain agenda against me. They don’t like me playing. They don’t like to watch me play.”“The amount of success which I got, I guess they are jealous of me. I am not too worried. You guys know what I am doing. Just one bad innings…not a bad inning, but my intent was there. Sometimes as a batter, you don’t get that rhythm, you don’t get that flow. People who are talking, either they don’t understand the game (or) I think they want me to play a different kind of innings.“They didn’t expect that Ajinkya Rahane will basically prove his game this much. So I am happy they are talking about me, negative or positive, either way. I am really happy that they are talking. Let them talk.”
KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane played his 200th IPL game against SRH. (ANI)
In the contest against SRH, Rahane scored only eight runs in nine balls before top-edging a Jaydev Unadkat slower delivery. During the brief stay, he struggled to find the gaps when facing the spin of Harsh Dubey and Abhishek Sharma in the powerplay overs. The ploy seemed to be to keep the seamers away from Rahane – against whom the right-hander does better.Does Ajinkya Rahane have a strong strike rate since IPL 2023?
| Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | 37 | 1033 | 29.51 | 147.48 | 86 | 48 |
Rahane’s claim of holding “one of the best strike rates so far from 2023” doesn’t hold up.Overall, he’s 88th in the list based on strike rate since IPL 2023. During this period, he played 42 matches, scoring 1033 runs, average of 29.51 and a strike rate of 147.78.Go deeper, and based on the players who have faced at least 50 balls, he sits 64th on the list of IPL batters, with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi topping the charts at a strike rate of 218.70.If you look at those with longer stays in the middle, 250 balls or more, Rahane is 44th in the list. Abhishek Sharma tops this list with a strike rate of 185.23.Among the top-four batters who played at least 250 balls, Rahane is 28th. Nicholas Pooran tops this list with a strike rate of 191.60.A look at Rahane’s numbers in the powerplay does make things look better for him. In the last three seasons, his strike rate during the powerplay stands at 168.80.Batters with best strike rate since IPL 2023 (at least 300 balls faced)
| Player | Inns | Runs | Balls Faced | Strike Rate | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travis Head | 29 | 720 | 383 | 187.98 | 48 |
| Abhishek Sharma | 39 | 761 | 431 | 176.56 | 34.59 |
| Phil Salt | 33 | 730 | 420 | 173.80 | 36.50 |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 31 | 552 | 329 | 167.78 | 69 |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 44 | 1029 | 617 | 166.77 | 54.15 |
Among players to have faced at least 300 balls since IPL 2023, his strike rate (167.78) during the powerplay overs has been the fourth best. This list is led by Travis Head (187.98).Among Indians, only Abhishek Sharma has a better strike rate during this period (176.56).Against the pacers with the new ball (effectively powerplay overs), Rahane’s strike rate stands at 170.79 but the challenge, as revealed against SRH, is the spinners with the new ball where his strike rate drops to 140.54.
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The larger issue, though, lies in the post-powerplay overs. His strike rate nosedives to 127.27 and 115.58, respectively, during the two middle over periods. Overall, it stands at 129.30.Against spin in the middle overs (7-15 overs), his strike rate further drops to 114.02.KKR now have consecutive home games over the next week, against Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants on April 6 and April 9, respectively, where they would be hoping to pick their first win of the season.
