Collective batting failure: KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane reflects on loss against MI

Ajinkya Rahane, captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), reflected on his team’s defeat against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Monday (March 31). MI asserted complete dominance throughout the match, striking early to dismantle KKR’s batting and comfortably chasing down the modest target of 117 runs in just 12.5 overs. KKR’s batting line-up crumbled under pressure, resulting in their second loss of the IPL 2025 season.

Ajinkya Rahane on MI vs KKR match result

Reflecting on the match, Ajinkya Rahane remarked, “It was a good wicket to bat on, as I mentioned at the toss. A score of 180-190 would have been competitive on this surface, which offered very good bounce.” He emphasized the need to adapt, saying, “Sometimes you have to use the pace and bounce to your advantage, but we couldn’t do that. We’ve got to learn really fast from this game.”

Rahane expressed disappointment over the batting collapse, noting, “We kept on losing wickets—four in the powerplay—which made it difficult to consolidate and build a total. You need partnerships and one batsman to stay till the end, but that didn’t happen.” On the bowling effort, he added, “We couldn’t do much with the ball. The bowlers tried their best, but with not enough runs on the board, it was difficult to consolidate and get that total on the board.” His comments highlight the urgency for KKR to regroup and address their batting woes before their next game of the season.

MI vs KKR Match Summary

Mumbai Indians crushed Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets at their home ground, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. MI skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bowl, a decision that paid off as MI’s bowling attack dismantled the batting lineup of KKR. Debutant Ashwani Kumar claimed 4/24— the best figures by an Indian on his IPL debut. On the other hand, Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar chipped in to bowl KKR out for just 116 in 16.2 overs. KKR’s innings faltered early, slumping to 41/4 in the powerplay, with Sunil Narine (0) and Quinton de Kock (1) falling cheaply. Angkrish Raghuvanshi (26) offered brief resistance, but the middle order collapsed soon.

MI chased the target easily by reaching 121/2 in just 12.5 overs. Ryan Rickelton led the charge with an unbeaten 62 off 41 balls, including four fours and five sixes, while Suryakumar Yadav’s cameo of 27* off 9 balls, also contributed to the win. KKR’s bowlers struggled, unable to stem the flow of runs, leaving MI victorious and KKR slipped to the bottom of the points table.