“We don’t need to panic,” said Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Ajinkya Rahane after their heavy loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL opener, firmly backing their explosive middle-order despite its failure to deliver.
The defending champions, under new skipper Rahane, were scoring at over 10 runs per over at the halfway mark when RCB turned the tide in their favour.
A match-turning spell from left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya restricted KKR to a below-par 174/8, a target RCB chased down with 22 balls to spare at Eden Gardens on Saturday.
“This is our first game of the season and the batting line-up or the team which we have, we have guys who like to go after the ball. I don’t want to pinpoint on certain things. As a team, I thought, in a few areas we did really well. There’re always areas we can improve as a team, as an individual,” Rahane said at the post-match media interaction.
Backing his middle-order batters despite their struggles, Rahane said, “Because guys who got out in the middle overs, they actually did well for us, for this franchise in the past. So, I’m going to back them. They tried to play their game tonight. It didn’t work out, but it’s okay.”
Calling their middle-order “experienced, dangerous, and explosive,” Rahane said: “They have handled many situations like this. It’s always about giving them that freedom and allowing them to go out there and play their game.
