'They have a certain agenda against me' - Ajinkya Rahane lashes out at critics

Rarely emotive behind the mic, Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane brazenly hit out at those questioning his batting approach, following their 65-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL on Thursday (April 2).

Taking questions after KKR's second loss in a row, Rahane was asked about his opening partnership with Finn Allen, how the anchor-aggressor roles are defined, and what he feels about the outside noise around his strike rate, especially against spinners.

Rahane, who fell for 8 off 10, was in no mood to take criticism around his approach.

"I think I have one of the best strike rates so far from 2023," he said. "People who are talking about me (are) probably not watching the game or they have a certain agenda against me. They don't like me playing. They don't like to watch me play."

Rahane's claims aren't far-fetched: since the start of 2023, his strike rate between overs 1 to 6 is the fourth-best, for a minimum of 300 balls faced.

However, the numbers post Powerplay tell a different story. Against spin in overs 7 to 15, his strike rate drops to 114.02 in the same time period. Against SRH, he fell on the final ball of the fifth over to Jaydev Unadkat.

Rahane's phase-wise stats vs pace & spin (since 2023)

Rahane continued with his fiery response, claiming that those speaking against him were jealous of his success.

"The amount of success which I got, I guess they are jealous of me. I am not too worried. You guys know what I am doing. Just one bad innings...not a bad inning, but my intent was there. Sometimes as a batter, you don't get that rhythm, you don't get that flow. People who are talking, either they don't understand the game (or) I think they want me to play a different kind of innings.

"They didn't expect that Ajinkya Rahane will basically prove his game this much. So I am happy they are talking about me, negative or positive, either way. I am really happy that they are talking. Let them talk."

Chasing 227, KKR folded for 161, struggling to build a substantial partnership that could have headlined their response. There was no fifty-run stand, with the team collapsing from 120/3 to lose their next seven wickets for 41 runs.

Rahane had no complaints with the surface, admitting that KKR fell short because they just couldn't stitch a partnership that could have made a difference.

"The wicket was good today. Played really well," Rahane said. "With the ball, how we came back after 10 overs, it was amazing. At that point, they looked good for 250-260. They were 140-150. But I think the bowlers bowled really well, came back smartly.

"SRH bowlers, they saw what we did in the first innings. They got an idea of what we were doing. The first six overs were crucial for us, we lost that extra wicket of Cameron Green, which he got run out. When you're chasing that target, it's bound to happen. You are going to lose wickets, lose that momentum. What we needed today was that partnership".

KKR have back-to-back games scheduled at home over the next week, facing Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants on April 6 and April 9.