Ajinkya Rahane Asked To Gamble Big On Sunil Narine vs CSK, Will KKR Tweak Batting Order In Blockbuster IPL 2026 Clash?

KKR remain the only team without a win in IPL 2026, and time is running out for Ajinkya Rahane to grind out a much-needed victory when they face Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk on Tuesday. KKR's recent record against CSK has been impressive, but given their form in this campaign, Rahane needs a massive turnaround to fancy their chances against the five-time champions.

Despite having the likes of Finn Allen and Ankrish Raghuvanshi, KKR's batting struggles have been quite evident this year. They haven't tried anything different in the batting order, and the go-to opening pair of Rahane and Allen has also drawn criticism for inconsistency.

KKR Captain Ajinkya Rahane Told To Change Batting Order

One thing which has raised eyebrows is the use of Sunil Narine. Narine emerged as one of the most explosive openers for KKR in IPL, but the West Indian hasn't featured in IPL as an opener. His role has been very limited, and now Rahane has been advised to return to the old and tested way.

Former KKR star Manoj Tiwary believes KKR should be opening with Narine against CSK. On Cricbuzz, Tiwary said, “As a leader, it is important to display leadership qualities that even if you are losing, you have to make sure of the atmosphere in the dressing room and the hotels, make sure that there is not much discussion about how the team are losing games. I still think that Sunil Narine should open for KKR. Because when KKR became champions, he had made 488 runs. The advantage of him at the top is that when he fires, he plays at a strike rate of 180-200, and if he gets out, he does not waste too many balls.”

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CSK Probable Playing XI vs KKR

Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh.

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