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Updated 26 May 2025 at 16:04 IST

Virender Sehwag Points Out Massive 'Ajinkya Rahane' Gamble KKR Took In IPL 2025: 'It Is Not Written Anywhere That A Captain...'

Ajinkya Rahane's Kolkata Knight Riders ended the IPL 2025 campaign on a high with a 110-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last group-stage match.

Reported by: Anirban Sarkar
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Ajinkya Rahane and Virender Sehwag
Ajinkya Rahane and Virender Sehwag | Image: AP/PTI

Kolkata Knight Riders signed off IPL 2025 with a harrowing loss at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad. The IPL 2024 champions had a forgettable season and bowed out with a 110-run loss.

Virender Sehwag Pointed Out Massive Ajinkya Rahane Gamble For KKR

But it wasn't supposed to be that way, as KKR assembled a quite formidable squad at their disposal. The likes of Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh and Andre Russell were retained, while they brought in the likes of Spencer Johnson and Quinton de Kock to bolster their strength. But it hasn't been the case that they would have hoped. The 23.75 crore buy Venkatesh Iyer barely played a match-winning knock while both Narine and Eussell were inconsistent through the season.

Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag pointed out that KKR should have let their big hitter come ahead of their captain, Ajinkya Rahane. He cited that both the Lucknow Super Giants and the Chennai Super Kings provided flexibility to Rishabh Pant and MS Dhoni, respectively.

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During an interaction on Cricbuzz, he said, “It is not written anywhere that a captain has to bat in the top three. Look at Pant, he was sending players ahead of him, because they were in form and LSG took advantage of that.

“KKR could have done the same. This was the team management and the coaching staff’s responsibility. See, even CSK did it against GT. Shivam Dube and Dewald Brevis came up the order, they changed that up from the recent matches."

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KKR Captain Ajinkya Rahane Had A Standout Season

In what proved to be a disappointing season, the KKR captain shone brightly. After Shreyas Iyer's departure, the KKR management entrusted the experienced Rahane and his leadership skills earned severe plaudits. He also turned out to be KKR's highest run scorer with 390 runs in 13 matches and played with a fearless instinct. He was bought at a base price of 2 crore and was a standout player throughout the season.

Published 26 May 2025 at 16:04 IST