Kolkata Knight Riders’ IPL 2026 journey ended on Sunday, May 24. After which speculations started emerging about Ajinkya Rahane leaving the captaincy.

KKR Captain Ajinkya Rahane: Three-time IPL champion KKR had a very bad start in IPL 2026. He had lost five out of the first six matches. However, KKR made a strong comeback and won 6 out of the next 8 matches and kept the excitement of the playoff race going.

On Sunday, May 24, Delhi Capitals played the last match of the league stage by defeating Kolkata Knight Riders by 40 runs. KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane said after the defeat that despite the poor start of the team in IPL 2026, the thought of leaving the captaincy never crossed his mind. Rahane said that when the team is struggling, it is important to stand strong.

Ajinkya Rahane going to leave the captaincy?

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane said in the press conference after the match, ‘I have played cricket with good behavior all my life. For me, showing character is most important. On the question of leaving the captaincy, Rahane said,

‘I am not one of those who back down. It is important to show character when the team is struggling. Yes, there was pressure, which is natural, but not everyone can handle the pressure. It was important for me to stand strong and not let the pressure dominate me. When you lose 5-6 matches, it is very easy to focus on the past or the future.

Ajinkya Rahane’s performance in IPL 2026

Rahane’s performance with the bat in IPL 2026 was not good. He scored 335 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 135. His strike rate outside the powerplay was one of the lowest in the competition. Let us tell you that the KKR team was troubled by the injuries of its key players. Harshit Rana and Akashdeep were ruled out of the entire season.

KKR was troubled by injuries throughout the season

Mustafizur Rahman was already thrown out of the league. Rahane said, ‘We lost some players during the season and it was a challenging time. But I did not pay attention to it. I had faith in my team and wanted to give a chance to the Indian bowlers.