IPL 2025: KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane blames 'Collective Failure of Batting Unit' after horrific loss against PBKS

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Ever seen a bolt from the blue? Well, probably Kolkata Knight Riders and their fans witnessed that on Tuesday (April 15) when their team inexplicably surrendered to Punjab Kings and lost the match by 16 runs in Mullanpur.

Chasing a total of 112 runs, KKR were 62 for 2 at one stage, but then lost their last eight wickets for just 33 runs and succumbed to a horrific defeat.

KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane was not holding any barriers at the post-match press conference, as he blamed the entire batting unit for the loss.

"It's a collective failure of the batting unit. It's not only about hitting sixes or playing big shots. Strike rotation is also very important. I'm sure that didn't happen with our batting unit," Rahane said.

"It's not like Punjab bowled very well. I think we played bad cricket as a batting unit. I take this responsibility as a captain. But individually, I'm sure, all the players, especially the batters, will think about their own game and improve in the upcoming matches," he added, raising a self assessment warning for all the players.

It was Rahane's wicket that started the downfall for the Knights. That also came with a twist in it. Rahane was given LBW and the KKR skipper decided not to take a review. The replay showed the impact was outside off stump, which would have saved the KKR player. And Rahane deemed lack of communication with Angkrish Raghuvanshi as the reason why he didn't opt for a review.

"The communication between the two batsmen wasn't that clear. If someone clearly tells you that the impact can be out or it can miss, you take a review as a batter. But generally, the batter in front of you, you think about what they say. The communication wasn't that clear. Maybe it was an unbiased call.
That's why I didn't take a review," he added.

The Knight Riders have now lost four of their first seven matches and are in a further slump this season. It was also the Bengali New Year's Day on Tuesday and fair to say, the start of the year is far from ideal. The three-time champions will be up against the Gujarat Titans next on April 21.