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Controversy Off the Field & No Wins on It: A Bad Time to Be KKR Skipper Ajinkya Rahane

MENSXP | April 12, 2026 2:39 PM CST

Nobody would want to be in Ajinkya Rahane’s shoes at the moment. IPL 2026 is just two weeks old and already the KKR skipper has nothing to show on the field and is creating waves off it.

KKR IPL 2026 Horror Show

KKR began IPL 2026 by being humbled at the hands of MI. They failed to defend a score of over 200 and lost by six wickets. In their next games, they faltered big time and conceded over 200 vs SRH. SRH then hammered them by 65 runs. Rain came to their rescue in a precarious situation vs PBKS and they escaped with one point. Against LSG, KKR were in a winning position but lost on the last ball by three wickets.

Ajinkya Rahane’s Controversial Remarks

The three-time champions are reeling early on and are in ninth spot on the points table. What’s worse is that their captain Rahane is in the news for the wrong reasons. After losing to SRH when his strike rate was brought into question, he said critics were ‘jealous’ of his success and had an ‘agenda’ against him.

Backlash from Virender Sehwag

This was not well received by many experts. Former India opener Virender Sehwag said that there was no need for Rahane to make such remarks and instead he should think about doing well on the field. Sadly, that is yet to be the case as far as wins are concerned. KKR are yet to win their 1st game of the 19th edition.

Ajinkya Rahane’s IPL 2026 Form

Personally, Rahane has had a decent IPL 2026. In four innings from as many games, he has made 124 at an average of 41.33 and strike rate of 155. His personal best is 67 vs MI in the season opener for KKR. Unfortunately, these contributions have not helped KKR win and other than CSK, they are the only ones without at least one win in IPL 2026. The only point they have is thanks to rain and that’s why they are not last on the table.

Can KKR Win IPL 2026?

KKR’s next outing is against CSK on April 14 as they search for their 1st win of IPL 2026. With 10 games left, KKR need to start winning if they are to finish in the top four and enter the Playoffs. They won the title in 2012, 2014 and 2024. Shall it be a fourth title in IPL 2026? It can happen but it is easier said than done.