"I'll take the blame": Ajinkya Rahane labels himself the villain in KKR's shock defeat to PBKS

Ajinkya Rahane-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) took on the Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 31st match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Tuesday, April 15.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lost the thrilling IPL 2025 match against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 16 runs at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur.

Also Read: 'Stay humble and don't get overhyped': Shreyas Iyer's strict message to PBKS after thrilling win vs KKR

I'll take the blame, played the wrong shot, although it was missing - Ajinkya Rahane

Being invited to bowl first in the match, Kolkata Knight Riders bowlers did a tremendous job and bowled out Punjab Kings for 111. Chasing the score, the openers got out early, but Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Ajinkya Rahane stabilized the innings.

However, the dismissal of Ajinkya Rahane in the 8th over triggered a shocking collapse and the KKR went from 62/2 to 95/10 in 15.1 overs to suffer a shocking defeat.

Speaking after the match, Ajinkya Rahane took full blame for KKR's loss and revealed why he didn't review his LBW dismissal, which on replays was confirmed as not out. He stated:

"Nothing to explain, we all saw what happened there. Pretty disappointed with the effort. I'll take the blame, played the wrong shot, although it was missing. He wasn't very sure (his chat with Angkrish after being given out LBW). He said it could be the umpire's call. I didn't want to take a chance at that time, I wasn't sure as well."

Have to address this and move forward - Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane revealed that they were not thinking about Net Run Rate while chasing the target and they batted badly, which resulted in their defeat. He said:

"That was the discussion. Not really (was NRR in the mind?). We batted really badly as a batting unit, we take full responsibility. Bowlers did really well on this surface, restricting a strong Punjab batting lineup to 111. As an individual, you still have to be confident and positive."

Ajinkya Rahane further said that the batting was not easy on the track and wanted his team to address the issues and move on.

"On this wicket, batting with full face (was better). Sweep was pretty hard to play. Keep the intent going but play cricketing shots. We were reckless and should take full responsibility. At the moment, too many things going in my head. It was an easy chase for us. When I go upstairs, need to keep myself calm and then think about what to say to the boys. Still have to be positive. Half of the tournament is still remaining. Have to address this and move forward," Ajinkya Rahane said.

How did KKR perform in the previous IPL match against PBKS?

In their previous match against Punjab Kings, the Kolkata Knight Riders put up a monstrous batting display on April 26 at Eden Gardens. They scored 261/6 but it wasn’t enough as they suffered a shocking eight-wicket loss.

Being invited to bat first, KKR got off to a flyer thanks to Sunil Narine and Phil Salt. The duo added 138 runs in just 10.2 overs, punishing every bowler of the opposition team. Narine smashed 71 off just 32 balls, while Salt slammed 75 from 37.

Despite losing both openers in quick succession, the rest of the KKR batting lineup kept the momentum going. Venkatesh Iyer (39 off 23), Andre Russell (24 off 12), and Shreyas Iyer (28 off 10) all chipped in with quick runs and helped KKR register one of the biggest IPL totals.

With the ball, however, Kolkata Knight Riders fell flat. Their bowling unit had no answers to the onslaught from Prabhsimran Singh, Jonny Bairstow, Shashank Singh, and Rilee Rossouw. Prabhsimran Singh, with his 20-ball 54, and Jonny Bairstow, with his unbeaten 108, demolished KKR. Also, Shashank Singh joined the party with 68* off 28 balls.

Sunil Narine emerged as the top bowler for KKR but he couldn’t change the match's result despite returning with an excellent 1/24 in four overs. The rest of the attack leaked runs heavily and, the game slipped away from KKR's hands as the run-chase was completed in 18.4 overs.