Captain Ajinkya Rahane has faced heavy criticism as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are still looking for their first win in the ongoing IPL 2026. The IPL 2024 champions sit at the bottom of the points table with one point from five games.

They have lost their first four games so far in the tournament. Their only point came in a match against the Punjab Kings (PKS) which was eliminated at Eden Gardens.

Drop Ajinkya Rahane and make Sunil Narine captain: Kris Srikkanth to KKR

Amid KKR’s disastrous campaign, former Indian captain Kris Srikkanth made a bold suggestion while raising doubts over Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy. Rahane is doing well with the bat, but the team is not winning matches, and that is putting pressure on his captaincy.

Also Read: BCCI acquits Rajasthan Royals manager in alleged match-fixing case, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi unaffected

Now, ahead of their away match against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Friday in Ahmedabad, Srikkanth has suggested that Kolkata Knight Riders remove Rahane from the captaincy and hand over the reins to Sunil Narine mid-season if things do not improve in the upcoming games.

Kris Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel: “I will give Ajinkya Rahane one or two more chances. If nothing changes, I will leave him too and make Sunil Narine the captain midway through the season. Rahane should come in to bat only if necessary. Otherwise, let him just captain the team. He should not bat in the middle order. Making him captain was a wrong move in the first place. But do you have the courage to make a strong move to leave him now?”

Rinku Singh criticized by Srikkanth for inconsistent batting

Captaincy is not just KKR’s problem but also their overall performance in the tournament. The former Indian chief selector said that their bowling attack has been very weak, which is handicapping them badly. He also pointed out Rinku Singh’s inconsistent performance in the middle order.

There is only one positive for the Kolkata franchise this season, and that is Kartik Tyagi, but Srikkanth emphasized that one or two players performing is not enough to win matches in the IPL.

Srikkanth added, “They also have no chance with this bowling and batting. Vaibhav Arora consistently concedes 55 runs in 4 overs. What will you do with him as your main strike bowler? Rinku Singh never scores. He can’t play at 5. If 40 is needed in the last 3-4 overs, he will do that job. Otherwise, he can’t do anything. Kartik Tyagi is the only one who is doing well.”

Also Read: Big arrest made at RCB’s Chinnaswamy home amid dominant run of IPL 2026

Rachin Ravindra and Matheesha Pathirana named as game-changing options for KKR by Srikkanth

The former World Cup winner also suggested big changes to the eleven. He wants KKR to drop Finn Allen and Cameron Green and bring in Rachin Ravindra and Matheesha Pathirana in the XI to fix the team’s combination against the Gujarat Titans.

Srikkanth signed off by saying, “They should remove Finn Allen and Cameron Green. Bring in Rachin Ravindra and Pathirana. They can open with Rachin Ravindra and Rahane. That will balance the team. But their support staff looks better than the real players they have.”