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Ajinkya Rahane
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane has hit back at criticism around his strike rate, suggesting that there is a "certain agenda" and an element of "jealousy" behind the chatter. Questions on his strike rate came up after KKR slumped to a 65-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Thursday. Chasing a steep 227, the home side never had any impactful partnership despite a promising start and folded for 161 in 16 overs to remain winless so far this season. The loss placed the focus on Rahane's own performance and strike rate. The KKR skipper, who managed 8 off 10 balls on Thursday, was uncharacteristically sharp as he reacted to the criticism. "My strike rate, I think I have one of the best strike rates so far from 2020. People who are talking about me, probably not watching the game or they have certain agenda against me. They don't like me playing," he said without mentioning anyone in specific in the post-match media interaction. "They don't like to watch me play. The amou
Dismissive of the never-ending speculation around his future, experienced India batter and Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane says he is playing cricket for personal growth and not to prove a point to the naysayers. The 37-year-old Rahane had stepped down from Mumbai's Ranji Trophy captaincy last season and he also did not lead the side in white-ball domestic competitions. The move triggered another round of chatter around the future of the batter, who hasn't played for India since 2023. "Let people talk about me. They have been talking about me since like what, 20 years now. Let them talk," Rahane told reporters when asked if his 40-ball 67 with five sixes and three fours against Mumbai Indians here on Sunday was in any way a statement especially for those in Mumbai's cricket circuit. "I am really happy with the way I am batting at the moment. I am not here to show anyone how talented I am and what's my game. People are watching. Let them watch. Let them talk," he ...
Kolkata Knight Riders' captan Ajinkya Rahane was on Sunday forced to leave the field seemingly after suffering cramps in the second half of their Indian Premier League clash here against Mumbai Indians. In Rahane's absence, India all-rounder Rinku Singh who was named the vice-captain before the IPL 2026 began, took over the captaincy role. Rahane was down on the field after the completion of the fourth over in MI's chase of 221 and despite receiving some treatment from the team physiotherapist, the 37-year-old could not continue. After lying down for a few minutes, the KKR skipper was helped by his teammates to get up and for a short while even had his hands on shoulders of two others to get off the field. However, Rahane eventually walked off himself but with a limp. However it is still not clear whether it is simple cramps or a case of injury to calf muscle or hamstring. Opening the innings for KKR earlier in the game, Rahane spent more than an hour in the middle building the ...
India batter Ajinkya Rahane has proposed radical changes in the appointment of selectors, particularly at the domestic level, saying only recently retired first-class players should be entrusted with picking teams as they are more likely to keep pace with changing nature of the game. Currently, any cricketer with 10-match first-class experience can apply for being a state selector and should have retired at least five years ago. Beyond the set parameters, Rahane said it's important that selectors' mindset and approach match the current pace of cricket. "Players should not be scared of selectors. I want to talk about selectors, especially in domestic cricket. We should have selectors who have retired recently from playing top-flight cricket, those who have retired five-six years, seven-eight years ago," Rahane said during an interaction with one-time teammate Cheteshwar Pujara on the former's Youtube channel. "Because the way cricket is evolving, I think it's very important that the
Veteran India batter Ajinkya Rahane on Thursday stepped down from his position as Mumbai captain ahead of the upcoming Ranji Trophy season, saying it is the right time to groom a new leader. The 37-year-old, who has amassed 14000 runs in 201 first-class matches, however, will continue to play as a batter in the team. The Ranji season begins on October 15 and Mumbai will be up against Jammu and Kashmir in their opening game. "Captaining and winning the championships with the Mumbai team has been an absolute honour," Rahane wrote on his 'X' account. "With the new domestic season ahead, I believe it is the right time to groom a new leader, and hence, I have decided not to continue in the captaincy role. "I remain fully committed to giving my best as a player, and will continue my journey with MCA to help us win more trophies, looking forward to the season," he added. Under his captaincy, Mumbai clinched the Ranji Trophy title in the 202324 season with a victory over Vidarbha in the .
Seasoned India batter Ajinkya Rahane compiled his 40th First-Class century -- a marvellous 192-ball 102 -- as Leicestershire battled hard to avoid defeat against Glamorgan in their County Championship Division Two match here on Sunday. Rahane, a veteran of 85 Tests and 90 ODIs, struck 13 fours and a six during his stay in the middle and was also involved in a vital stand of 183 runs for the fourth wicket with Australian Peter Handscomb, who was batting on 94 at lunch on the final day of the four-day game. Leicestershire's international pair Rahane and Handscomb got together with an aim to save the game for them after Glamorgan's Colin Ingram had crafted a career-best, unbeaten 257 at Sofia Gardens. At stumps on the third evening, Rahane was 47 not out and Handscomb unbeaten on 33, as Leicestershire ended at 144 for 3, trailing by 155, when bad light stopped play with 21.2 scheduled overs remaining. At the lunch, Leicestershire were 271 for four and needing another 28 runs to make .
Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane on Friday backed Shreyas Iyer to put the contractual turmoil behind him and deliver a punchy performance for the team in the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Tamil Nadu, beginning here on Saturday. Shreyas along with Jharkhand's Ishan Kishan were not considered for the annual central contracts after both the players skipped the Ranji matches of their respective teams in violation of BCCI's diktat. Shreyas sat out of Mumbai's quarterfinal against Baroda here while complaining of back pain. He's an experienced player. His contribution has been amazing whenever he turned up for Mumbai. We are thrilled to have him in our team for the semifinal, Rahane told the media here at the BKC Ground. Rahane said Shreyas would not require any extra motivation to do well for Mumbai against TN. I don't think he needs any encouragement or advice. He has always contributed with the bat for Mumbai, and him being around other players in the dressing room will also help the .
Ajinkya Rahane has not given up on playing 100 Tests for India and remains determined for a comeback. Rahane last played for India on the tour of West Indies in July 2023. The 35-year-old, who has featured in 85 Tests, is captaining Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. "My goal is to secure both the Ranji Trophy and the bigger objective of playing in 100 Test matches," Rahane told reporters after Mumbai's second successive outright win in the competition. "I'm focused on performing well for Mumbai and taking each game one step at a time." Rahane could not open his account in what was his first game of the tournament. Talking about the team's start, he said: "It's been a very good start for us this season. The challenge is to be consistent because when you want to win the Ranji Trophy, it is all about being consistent throughout the period of time. "We are looking to take one game at a time. It's a home-away format so the conditions keep changing. We have to be in the moment, try and see