Former BCCI selector K Srikkanth believes that Ajinkya Rahane is of no use to Kolkata Knight Riders as he cannot attack or anchor his team’s innings. This shocking comment came just before KKR’s first match against Mumbai Indians, which will be played today.

After a surprising release from Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane was named captain of the team, considering the maturity, experience and matches he has played in the IPL. However, they did not have the expected performance and last time they finished in eighth position in the points table.

Can Ajinkya Rahane be a big problem for KKR?

Ajinkya Rahane is one of the most experienced players and a senior player in the team. Because of this, he was given the position of captain of a completely new team full of young players. His years of domestic, international cricket and IPL experience will really benefit the young team. However, it is still unclear how he will play this season after failing to perform in the last season by scoring only 390 runs in 13 matches at an average of 35.

Talking about Rahane’s performance, Srikkanth said, “Ajinkya Rahane is going to be a big problem for them. By coming and opening, he will block that space. He is playing because he is the captain. If you think about it, he can’t smash the bowling or anchor the innings like Virat Kohli. He surprised us in 2023, but even before that, he didn’t do well for a long time. That’s the missing link for KCR.”

Out of 18 editions of IPL, Ajinkya Rahane has represented 6 teams so far in his IPL career where he has crossed the 5000 run mark in 198 IPL games at an average of 30.

KKR captaincy dilemma: Srikkanth slams player’s form

Being the captain of the team, it is clear that he will be part of the playing eleven. However, what worries everyone is what he will bring to KKR as a batsman as he failed to perform in both formats last year. Rahane’s limited range of shots early in the innings is unlikely to benefit KKR in the powerplay, where they need someone who can attack from the first ball, along with Sunil Narine.

Rahane tends to take some time to adjust, and even after that, he has a very limited repertoire of shots against bowlers, which does not suit the demands of modern T20 cricket. Nowadays, players must have the ability to hit for power, and even those who didn’t have it before, like Virat Kohli, have changed their game.

“He is playing and possibly starting only because he has to play as a captain. Even last year he did not do very well for KKR. He plays as a captain, but what value is he going to add as a player? He did brilliantly for CSK in 2023 and won them the title. But in the last two years he has not done anything great. That is where KKR are stuck,” said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).