Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane has carried his form from the 2025-26 edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy into IPL 2026 as he has played a captain’s knock in the three-time champions’ opening game against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. The right-handed batter got to his half-century off only 27 deliveries and laid an excellent platform at the top with Finn Allen. With Rahane playing imperiously, a section of fans have lauded him for answering his detractors well.
Ajinkya Rahane was in excellent form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy but hadn’t played any cricket since December
Coming into the 19th edition of the IPL, the veteran cricketer hadn’t played a professional cricket tournament or a match since December. Playing for Mumbai, the Maharashtra-born cricketer clattered 391 runs in 10 games, averaging 48.87 alongside a strike rate of 161.57 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He had also accumulated 390 runs in 13 games at 35.45 to finish as Kolkata’s highest run-getter. However, the three-time champions had a forgettable tournament, ending up at the eighth spot.
But the elegant right-handed batter has not only come out swinging from the first over but took calculated risks to esatablish his authority on the Mumbai Indians. Here’s how the netizens have reacted to Rahane’s innings
Ajinkya Rahane should have played more T20s for India #IPL2026
— raghav (@raghav41868793) March 29, 2026
Fifty for Ajinkya Rahane
Calm, composed, and in full control
Leading from the front 👏 #MIvsKKR #IPL— Naveen Nandala (@NaveenOnMarkets) March 29, 2026
AJINKYA RAHANE SMASHED FIFTY FROM JUST 27 BALLS 🔥
– Captain is making huge impact for KKR.🔥🔥😱 pic.twitter.com/1Qv3m6sAwM
— Gencric (@SinghNiranjan2) March 29, 2026
IPL 2026 Prediction time:
Ajinkya Rahane will win orange cap this season with 750+ runs.— The Meme XI (@TheMemeXI) March 29, 2026
Captain Ajinkya Rahane brings up fifty in first match of the season
He owned some KKR fans who were hating him continuously pic.twitter.com/5wk2577mN2
— StarcyKKR (@StarcKKR) March 29, 2026
Kolkata Knight Riders on track for a massive total
Despite losing Allen for 37 and Cameron Green for 18, the Knight Riders are on track for a total of at least 210 to 220. At the time of writing this, the Knight Riders’ captain was batting at 67 alongside Angkrish Raghuvanshi.
