They have a certain agenda against me. They don't like me playing.
In the aftermath of KKR's second consecutive defeat, Ajinkya Rahane chose deflection over reflection, framing legitimate statistical scrutiny as jealousy and agenda rather than engaging with the quiet arithmetic of collapse. Sport has always been a mirror for the human tension between self-belief and self-awareness — and Rahane's press conference in Hyderabad became a small theater for that ancient struggle. The numbers, patient and indifferent, continued to tell their own story.
- KKR's chase of 227 disintegrated from a promising 120 for three into a heap of 161 all out, seven wickets crumbling for just 41 runs with no partnership to speak of.
- Rahane, under direct scrutiny for his role in the collapse, rejected criticism as agenda-driven and rooted in jealousy rather than genuine analysis of his batting.
- The data cuts against his defense: his strike rate against spinners in the critical middle overs sits at 114.02, and he was dismissed by Unadkat on the final ball of the fifth over against SRH.
- Cameron Green's run-out in the powerplay robbed KKR of early momentum, compounding the pressure on every batter who followed in a chase that demanded urgency.
- KKR's deeper structural problem — the inability to build substantial partnerships when chasing large totals — remains unaddressed as the team slides into a worrying early-season pattern.
Ajinkya Rahane faced the press after KKR's second straight defeat, a 66-run collapse having ended their chase of 227 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The first question was about his strike rate. Rather than engaging with it, he pushed back sharply — claiming he had one of the best strike rates since 2023, and that those questioning him either weren't watching or carried an agenda against him. He went further, suggesting critics were jealous of his success and wanted him to play a different kind of innings altogether.
The numbers, however, were less generous. Against spinners in overs 7 through 15 — the phase where a chase finds its footing — his strike rate fell to 114.02. Against SRH, he had been dismissed by Jaydev Unadkat on the final ball of the fifth over. These were not invented grievances but patterns visible in the data.
Rahane acknowledged a difficult innings while insisting his intent had been sound, and that sometimes rhythm simply doesn't come. He pointed to structural factors: the wicket had played well, KKR's bowlers had done their job in the first innings, and the run-out of Cameron Green in the powerplay had cost the team dearly at a moment when momentum was everything.
Yet the harder question went unasked and unanswered — whether Rahane's measured, crease-occupying approach was suited to chasing totals like 227 in the IPL's compressed, high-stakes format. His dismissal of criticism as coordinated and malicious sidestepped that conversation entirely. KKR had collapsed, the partnerships had never materialized, and the team's early-season fragility remained as visible as ever.
Ajinkya Rahane sat down after KKR's second straight loss, and the first question came about his strike rate. It was a fair one. His team had just collapsed chasing 227 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, folding for 161, and Rahane's role in that failure seemed worth examining. Instead of engaging with the substance, he pushed back hard.
"I think I have one of the best strike rates so far from 2023," he said, his tone sharp. "People who are talking about me are probably not watching the game or they have a certain agenda against me." He went further, suggesting that critics didn't like watching him play, that they were jealous of his success. The implication was clear: the noise around his batting wasn't legitimate analysis. It was something darker—a coordinated campaign.
But the numbers told a different story. Against spinners in the middle overs—overs 7 through 15, the period when a chase typically finds its rhythm—Rahane's strike rate dropped to 114.02. Against SRH specifically, he had fallen on the final ball of the fifth over to Jaydev Unadkat. These weren't invented criticisms. They were patterns in the data.
Rahane's defense went deeper. He acknowledged that he'd had "one bad innings," though he quickly corrected himself—his intent had been there, he said. Sometimes a batter doesn't find rhythm or flow. Sometimes the game doesn't cooperate. He suggested that his critics either didn't understand cricket or wanted him to play a completely different kind of innings, one that didn't align with who he was as a player. "They didn't expect that Ajinkya Rahane will basically prove his game this much," he said. The subtext was that his success had made him a target.
The broader context made his defensiveness understandable, if not entirely persuasive. KKR had come to chase 227 with a reasonable start—they reached 120 for three wickets. From there, the collapse was brutal. Seven wickets fell for 41 runs. There was no substantial partnership, no fifty-run stand that might have steadied the ship. The team needed exactly what it didn't have: batters who could build something together, who could absorb pressure and keep scoring.
Rahane acknowledged the structural problems. The wicket had been good, he said. KKR's bowlers had performed well in the first innings, restricting SRH after a strong start. But SRH's bowlers had learned from that performance. They understood what KKR was trying to do. The loss of Cameron Green to a run-out in the powerplay had cost momentum at a critical moment. When you're chasing a total like 227, those early wickets compound. You lose not just a batter but the rhythm of the innings itself.
What remained unsaid was whether Rahane's own approach—his measured strike rate, his willingness to occupy the crease without necessarily accelerating—fit the demands of a chase like this one. His claim that he was being unfairly targeted didn't address the underlying question: in a format where quick runs matter, where partnerships need to build quickly, was his method working? The answer, at least on this night, was no. KKR had lost, and Rahane's dismissal of criticism as agenda-driven felt like a way of avoiding a harder conversation about what his role should be in a team that needed to chase down big totals.
Notable Quotes
People who are talking about me are probably not watching the game or they have a certain agenda against me.— Ajinkya Rahane
What we needed today was that partnership. When you're chasing that target, it's bound to happen. You are going to lose wickets, lose that momentum.— Ajinkya Rahane
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
When Rahane says critics have an agenda, what does he mean by that? Is he talking about specific people, or is it more a feeling?
I think it's both. There are always voices in cricket—commentators, analysts, social media—who will pick at a player's method. But Rahane seems to be suggesting something more organized, a coordinated skepticism. Whether that's real or perceived, I'm not sure.
His strike rate against spinners in the middle overs is 114. That's not terrible, but it's slower than his overall average. How does that fit with his claim?
It doesn't, really. That's the tension. He's saying people aren't watching, but the data is watching. And the data shows exactly what the critics are pointing to—a slowdown against spin when the chase needs acceleration.
Could he be right that he's being unfairly singled out? Maybe other openers have similar patterns.
Maybe. But in a format where you're chasing 227, maybe the pattern itself is the problem, not the criticism of it. The question isn't whether he's being treated fairly. It's whether his method works.
KKR went from 120 for three to 161 all out. That's a collapse. How much of that is on Rahane?
He wasn't even in the middle order collapse—he was out early. But that's part of the point. If the opener can't build a platform, if the powerplay doesn't set up the chase properly, the whole thing falls apart. He's not solely responsible, but he's part of the machinery that failed.
What does he need to do to quiet the critics?
Win chases. Build partnerships. Score quickly when it matters. The words don't matter. The runs do.