2 min readMar 21, 2026 01:29 AM IST
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane has said that he is taking everything in “his stride” after a wretched first season at the helm of the three-time champions last time around.
There has been plenty of scrutiny of Rahane’s position as the Kolkata Knight Riders’ captain after he could only manage to steer them to a lowly eighth spot in the IPL 2025 standings. What had made matters worse last season for the KKR faithful was that the team was the defending champions coming into IPL 2025, having won the title with Shreyas Iyer at the helm.
Ahead of IPL 2026, Rahane was asked at the pre tournament press conference of KKR if he was feeling more pressure this season as the captain.
“Every season brings its own expectations and challenges, whether you are a player or a captain. For me, the key has always been to stay positive. I’ve been leading the team since last year and I’m really grateful to the franchise for giving me this responsibility. I’m taking everything in my stride,” Rahane said at the press conference while he was flanked on the dais by chief coach Abhishek Nayar, assistant coach Shane Watson and team mentor Dwayne Bravo.
Rahane continued: “When there are challenges, there is also an opportunity. I’ve learned over the years to look at challenges as opportunities to grow and contribute. My mindset has always been like that throughout my career and I’ll always try to give my best as a player and a captain.”
Asked what is one area he wanted to improve from last season, Rahane said: “As a team, we’d like to start really well and build momentum. It’s a long tournament, so you don’t want to peak too early. As a unit, we want to play a positive brand of cricket. We’ve got international and domestic players coming into the team having been in good form. So, as a team management, we’re really confident that the team will do really well this season.”
