Former India's explosive opener Virender Sehwag came down heavily on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) following their 32-run defeat against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their IPL 2026 clash on April 14. It was KKR's fourth straight loss in the ongoing season. Sehwag took aim at the franchise's decision to break the bank for Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, labeling the record-breaking Rs 25.20 crore signing a massive auction blunder. Sehwag’s comments followed a disappointing performance at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, where Green was dismissed for a duck, further highlighting his struggles this season.
Cameron Green has become a liability for KKR: Virender Sehwag
The investment has yet to yield results, as Green—the most expensive overseas player in IPL history—has struggled to find his footing. Despite KKR committing nearly a third of their total purse to him, the Australian has managed a meager 56 runs and a single wicket across five appearances. His impact has been further limited by a back injury, which prevented him from bowling at all during the team's first three matches.
Sehwag urged the KKR management to stop trying to justify the price tag and instead admit they made a mistake. With the team currently enduring a five-match winless streak, he suggested that the boldest and most necessary move for the next fixture would be to drop Green from the starting lineup entirely.
“If you had that much money and still bought these players, spending ₹25-27 crore on Cameron Green, then now he has become a liability. If you play him, he is not performing. If you don’t play him, people will question why you spent so much money and then benched him. But there is no shame in accepting a mistake. Just admit it, that you made a mistake by spending so much on Cameron Green. Drop him and try someone else. His bowling is not contributing much either, and it’s not like his presence is making the team combination look great because of both his batting and bowling," Sehwag said while speaking to Cricbuzz.
So I feel you should bench Green and play Tim Seifert: Sehwag
Sehwag suggested a tactical reshuffle to fix KKR’s struggling lineup, proposing that the team replace Cameron Green with Tim Seifert. Under this new structure, Seifert would partner with Finn Allen at the top of the order, creating an explosive new opening pair. This shift would allow captain Ajinkya Rahane to move down to the No. 3 spot, potentially stabilizing the top order.
“So I feel you should bench him and play Tim Seifert instead. Recently, you saw him perform well for New Zealand. Those same two openers played aggressive innings. Bring both of them in and let them open. Then bring Ajinkya Rahane at number three, Powell at four, and push Raghavanshi further down. That way, if Rahane gets out, Raghavanshi can come in, and if someone else gets out, then Powell or Rinku can come in," former India's star opener added.
Ajinkya Rahane's brigade don't have much time to deliberate on these changes. Their next opportunity to snap their winless streak comes on April 17, when they travel to Ahmedabad to face off against Gujarat Titans (GT).