One of the few players who have survived in the Indian Premier League since the first edition in 2008, Ajinkya Rahane seldom comes under the spotlight. He has this year. Having represented five franchises before joining Kolkata Knight Riders, he is the captain for the first time. The price tag of Rs 1.50 crore makes him perhaps the cheapest buy to go on to lead an IPL side, in recent times.
Irrespective of the price, the pressure on Rahane is enormous. Surprise choice as the skipper of the defending champions, he has expectations to meet. Although the KKR owners are known to be patient with results and not react hastily, the outcome matters. Not qualifying for the play-offs is considered failure. It’s the same for almost all IPL captains.
Record-wise, it’s okay so far
KKR have a 50-50 record after six games, which places them fifth on the 10-team table with six points, slightly ahead of Punjab Kings on net run rate. These two teams face each other in Mullanpur near Chandigarh on Tuesday. Awaiting the visitors is their title-winning skipper of 2024, Shreyas Iyer, who is in fearsome touch and may be extra charged up against his former team.
Rahane is an able leader on a cricket field. He stepped in with distinction in the few Tests where he got the chance. He has also done well as the captain of a Mumbai side going through transition. He tolerates no nonsense when it comes to discipline and didn’t hesitate to send Yashasvi Jaiswal off the field briefly for misbehaving with the batters in the 2022 Duleep Trophy final. He learnt cricket the hard way and believes in playing with aggression without crossing the line.
Uncharacteristic in Eden pitch controversy
As the KKR captain, the player turning 37 in June has been part of a controversy regarding the pitch at Eden Gardens. He understandably said after the defeat in the opening game that he was expecting a bit more for his spinners. A team which has Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and the option of using Moeen Ali, will want spin. But Rahane’s remark later on, after the Eden curator ruled out a turner, that the latter “enjoys publicity” appeared uncharacteristic.
These things are not welcome in a high-intensity and frenetic competition like the IPL. What appears minuscule might snowball into something in minutes. Unless they do very well, the pitch is likely to become a topic of discussion during the remaining four of KKR’s home games. So far, they have lost two and won one at Eden. There will be questions from the media on the pitch and if that happens on a day the team loses, it can cause more distractions.
Leading from the front with the bat
On a brighter note, Rahane has done well with the bat. His game turns more adventurous when he leads a side. It was seen in Test matches and also in this season’s Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament won by Mumbai. Their skipper was the top-scorer of the event. For KKR, he has been unafraid to throw caution to the wind and instrumental in acceleration during the Powerplay.
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Rahane’s average of 40-plus and strike rate of 150-plus after six matches is far better than his career IPL average of 30.48 and strike rate of 124.48. Due largely to him, KKR have not struggled a great deal inside the first six overs, despite one of openers falling early in almost every match. The skipper has led from the front in terms of building and sustaining early momentum. He is the team’s leading scorer and has covered up for frailties before and after him in the No. 3 position.
Taking several factors into account, Rahane’s test as the KKR skipper has just begun. That 50-50 balance sheet and his success with the bat keep him and his team above the water, but only for the moment. Things are delicately placed and can tilt either way. Since captains are usually judged by how their teams fare, the jury should not be out until the play-off spots are decided.
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