Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane spoke after the team suffered a 40-run defeat against Delhi Capitals (DC) in their final league-stage clash of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
The defeat officially brought an end to KKR’s IPL 2026 campaign as the defending champions failed to make it into the top four this season.
Despite the disappointing exit, Rahane praised the character shown by his players throughout the second half of the tournament and also revealed his immediate cricketing plans after the IPL.
Ajinkya Rahane opens up on KKR's campaign & his next assignment
Reflecting on both his innings and KKR’s overall campaign, Rahane admitted that the wicket was tricky early on but felt proud of the way the team fought back after a difficult first half of the season.
"Yeah, I mean, the wicket was a little tricky at the start. I was batting really well and knew one batter had to go through, so I tried to take my chances."
"Talking about the kind of season we had, I’m really proud of each and every one."
The KKR skipper highlighted the resilience shown by the team after struggling midway through the tournament.
"The situation we were in after six games and then from there coming back, keeping the league alive and playing that kind of cricket needed character, a good attitude and resilience."
"I’m really proud of each and every individual."
Rahane also pointed out that although the season ended in disappointment, there were still several positives for the team to take away.
"This season didn’t go our way and we didn’t qualify, which is disappointing, but I’m really proud of everyone and the kind of effort we put in."
Speaking about what happens after the IPL season ends, Rahane revealed that players would now take some time off before reconnecting for future discussions.
"We’ll just go off to our homes, probably take some time off and then obviously we’ll probably connect over calls or Zoom and have discussions moving forward."
However, it was Rahane’s statement regarding his next assignment that caught fans’ attention.
"For me, just a couple of days off. I’m really looking forward to play my local league in Mumbai. I’m happy as long as I’m playing cricket. So yes, a couple of days off and then back to cricket."
RR’s victory over MI ended KKR’s playoff hopes before DC clash
Before KKR took the field against Delhi Capitals, the Kolkata side was still mathematically alive in the playoff race.
However, Rajasthan Royals’ victory over Mumbai Indians earlier in the day sealed the final remaining playoff spot and officially ended KKR’s hopes.
As a result, the KKR vs DC encounter turned into a dead rubber for both teams.
After being put in to bat first, Delhi Capitals posted a strong total of 203 runs on the board with contributions from:
Abishek Porel – 22 off 18
KL Rahul – 60 off 30
Sahil Parakh – 24 off 17
Axar Patel – 39 off 25
David Miller – 28 off 19
Ashutosh Sharma – unbeaten 18 off 11
In reply, KKR could only manage 163 runs and were bowled out in the 19th over.
Rahane was the lone bright spot for Kolkata with a fighting 63 off 39 balls.
For Delhi Capitals, Lungi Ngidi and Kuldeep Yadav starred with the ball by taking three wickets each, while Mitchell Starc picked up two wickets and skipper Axar Patel chipped in with one wicket.