Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Ramandeep Singh expressed his desire to open the batting following their defeat to Mumbai Indians (MI) in their IPL 2025 encounter. Mumbai Indians secured an eight-wicket victory over the defending champions at Wankhede Stadium on Monday, March 31.
KKR struggled to put up a competitive total after opting to bat first. They kept losing wickets early and were bundled out for just 116 runs in 16.2 overs, falling short of completing their full 20 overs. During the post-match press conference, Ramandeep shared his desire to open the batting.
“Main toh chahta hu mujhhe open kara de. Meri toh wahi koshish rehti hai. (I want to open the batting. I always try to bat up the order),” he said (via Hindustan Times).
Ramandeep Singh came in to bat late at No. 9 but made an impact, scoring 22 runs off 12 balls with a four and two sixes at a strike rate of 183.33. However, MI comfortably chased down the target, leaving KKR at the bottom of the table with two points and an inferior net run rate compared to other teams.
“Team ka jaha combination set hai, jaha team mein mujhe opporutnity milti hai, mujhe waha accha karne ki koshish karni hai. Match-winner banne ki koshish karni hai (Where the team combination is set, wherever I get an opportunity, I want to try and do well there. I want to try and become a match-winner),” he added.
The reigning champions have suffered defeats in two of their first three matches this season, making for a less-than-ideal start to their title defense.
Is KKR Struggling Due to the Impact of Mega Auctions?
Due to the dynamics of the mega auctions and retention rules, KKR lost several key players from their title-winning squad last year, including Phil Salt, Mitchell Starc, and captain Shreyas Iyer. Ramandeep Singh also spoke about the impact of mega auctions, highlighting how team combinations have to be reshuffled every three years.
“Mega auctions are disheartening. You set a combination, and then every three years you have to change the team. But that is not an excuse; teams will try and find their winning combinations as quickly as possible, and we are trying to find our winning combination as well,” he said.
KKR’s next match is against Sunrisers Hyderabad, their opponents in last year’s final, on Thursday, April 3, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
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