Ajinkya Rahane Faces Backlash for Choosing to Bat First in Rain-Delayed KKR-PBKS Match

New Delhi:

Former cricketers were taken by surprise as Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane opted to bat first against Punjab Kings with rain around. Ex-cricketers Anil Kumble and Saba Karim called out Rahane for his decision as KKR were rocked early 25/2 in their clash at the Eden Gardens.

KKR lost opener Finn Allen and Cameron Green in the second over as Xavier Bartlett swung the ball to rock the hosts early. Arshdeep Singh also troubled the batters with his swing in the first over before Bartlett made the inroads. The players went off the field after KKR were 25/2 in 3.4 overs as rain came down. The conditions were cloudy, with the entire ground under covers – barring the pitch – one hour before the start of the match. Rain washed out the practice sessions of both teams on the eve of the game.

Cricket pundits criticised Rahane’s decision. “I am surprised that Rahane won the toss and chose to bat first. On a pitch like this, where there’s some rain around, ideally, you would want to field first,” Kumble said on the JioHotstar broadcast. Ex-selector Saba Karim also could not digest the call. “I cannot understand this call. I cannot wrap my head around it,” he said.

Ashwin calls out Rahane’s call

Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin also criticised the decision, highlighting that KKR have an inexperienced bowling, asking why they opted to defend. “When you know it’s going to be a rain-affected game, with an inexperienced bowling attack at your disposal, you choose to bat first. Interesting thought process,” Ashwin wrote on X.

KKR-PBKS clash gets abandoned

Meanwhile, the KKR-PBKS clash got called out as Kolkata weather saved the hosts. The cut-off time for a five-over contest was 11:14 PM IST, and while the rain stopped around 10:30, there was hardly any time for the groundstaff to get the ground ready, with puddles having formed from the covers outside the boundary ropes and water droplets visible on the ground.

KKR would be relieved by this result, as they were in big trouble early and, with the pitch green and rain bringing in more moisture, KKR could have been at a disadvantageous position had this game taken place. 

KKR now have a point from three matches, while PBKS go on top of the points table with five points from three outings. The Knight Riders will next face Lucknow Super Giants at home on April 9, while PBKS will lock horns against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Mullanpur on April 11. 

ALSO READ | Kolkata weather saves KKR as rain and wet outfield wash out clash against PBKS at Eden Gardens

          </div>

function loadFacebookScript(){ !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,’script’,’https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’); fbq(‘init’, ‘529056027274737’); fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’); } window.addEventListener(‘load’, (event) => { setTimeout(function(){ loadFacebookScript(); }, 5000); });