Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane pointed to a poor batting display as the main reason for his team’s defeat against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 12th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
Speaking after the match, Rahane expressed disappointment over the lack of partnerships and the team’s failure to make the most of a good batting surface. He believed that a total of 180-190 runs would have been a competitive score, but losing early wickets left KKR struggling to recover. Despite the bowlers’ efforts, the low total made it difficult to put any pressure on MI.
KKR’s Struggles With the Bat
KKR suffered a major batting collapse, getting bowled out for just 116 runs in the 17th over. The team kept losing wickets at regular intervals and failed to build any meaningful partnerships. The batting lineup crumbled early, with four wickets falling during the powerplay.
Ajinkya Rahane emphasized the importance of having at least one batter stay until the end, which did not happen for KKR in this match. The Wankhede pitch provided good bounce, and Rahane felt that the batters should have used it to their advantage. However, they failed to do so, leading to a disappointing total that was well below expectations.
MI’s Dominant Chase
Mumbai Indians comfortably chased the target, securing an eight-wicket victory in just 13 overs. Wicketkeeper-batter Ryan Rickelton led the charge with an unbeaten 62 off 41 balls, hitting four fours and five sixes. KKR’s bowlers struggled to make an impact, with only Andre Russell managing to take wickets, dismissing Rohit Sharma and Will Jacks.
The rest of the bowlers remained ineffective, making MI’s chase relatively easy. Notably, MI’s left-arm pacer Ashwani Kumar made history by becoming the first Indian bowler to take a four-wicket haul on his IPL debut, dismantling KKR’s batting order. Rahane acknowledged that the team needed to learn from this match and improve quickly to stay competitive in the tournament.
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