Addressing concerns about the lack of a settled bowling combination, Rahane said that the side is still searching for the right mix.
“I think when hopefully Green starts to bowl soon, the combination will be slightly different,” he said at the presentation. “At the moment, we have to see the balance and who can bowl well for us. Batting-wise, as I said, we batted really well, but finding that balance with the ball is really important. So, hopefully, Green starts to bowl soon, [and] then we can find out whether the combination will be okay.”
KKR’s issues have been compounded by the absence of several frontline fast bowlers, leaving the team to rely on less experienced options. Rahane said it is a challenging phase but framed it as an opportunity for others in the squad to step up. In the six-wicket loss to MI, they played fast bowlers Blessing Muzarabani, Kartik Tyagi and Vaibhav Arora, while Varun Chakravarthy shared spin duties alongside allrounders Sunil Narine and Anukul Roy.
Rahane emphasised the importance of easing the burden on the spin unit by having the extra fast bowler, adding that a more balanced attack will only fall into place once Green can contribute fully.
“I think always the first couple of games you don’t get your right combination,” Rahane said at the post-match press conference. “It is challenging because our bowlers are injured, but I think there is an opportunity for other players to show up and do really well and make a name for themselves. As I said, [there’s] Kartik, Vaibhav, Muzarabani, Saurabh [Dubey]; you’ve got Umran [Malik] as well, [and] Navdeep Saini, who has been really impressive during practice sessions and practice matches. So it is an opportunity for everyone.”
Green’s limited bowling workload in recent outings has been notable. Despite being seen bowling at full tilt in training two days before the match, and again on the practice pitch before the game (although he did not mark his run-up), Green did not feature with the ball. Across his last eight competitive appearances, he has bowled only 7.1 overs, including none in his most recent Sheffield Shield game for Western Australia before departing for the IPL.
“Unfortunately, Cameron Green cannot bowl at this moment,” Rahane said. “When he starts bowling, the combination will be slightly different. At the moment for us having that sixth option as a bowler is really important because we don’t want to put too much pressure on our spinners as well, because as I said, Sunil and Varun have experience.
“Vaibhav just started to do really well last year. He had a good season for us, but we don’t want to put too much pressure [on him]. Batting-wise, we will take that responsibility to score runs, but the bowlers will take some time, and I am sure they will be okay, they will be fine.”
