IPL 2025: KKR Star, Who Batted At No. 9 vs MI, Asks Franchise To Let Him Open
KKR suffered a thumping 8-wicket defeat against Mumbai Indians in their third IPL 2025 match.
Defending Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) only have one win from the first two games of the campaign, with their latest defeat coming against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Monday. The Knight Riders suffered an 8-wicket defeat after putting up 116 runs on the board. Ramandeep Singh, who came out to bat the No. 9 spot, was the second-highest scorer for KKR, adding 22 runs off 12 balls to the total, only behind Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who scored 26 off 16. After the game, Ramandeep said that he wants to contribute more to the team by opening the batting.
Ramandeep has primarily played as a finisher for KKR, seldom batting above No. 7 spot for the franchise. But, he sent a loud and clear message to the franchise, asking to be given the opening role.
"Main toh chahta hu mujhhe open kara de. Meri toh wahi koshish rehti hai. (I want to open the batting. I always try to bat up the order)," said Ramandeep with a smile on his face, in the post-match press conference.
Further, during the conversation, Ramandeep said that he is happy to play any role the management offers him as his primary aim is to become a match-winner for the team.
"Team ka jaha combination set hai, jaha team mein mujhe opporutnity milti hai, mujhe waha accha karne ki koshish karni hai. Match-winner banne ki koshish karni hai. (We have a set combination, I am ready to bat anywhere the team wants me to. I will to produced match-winning knocks there)," he added.
From clinching the title to be placed bottom of the 10-team points table, a lot has changed for KKR. Ramandeep sees the IPL mega auction as a factor behind this trouble.
"Mega auctions are disheartening. You set a combination, and then every three years you have to change the team. But that is not an excuse; teams will try and find their winning combinations as quickly as possible, and we are trying to find our winning combination as well," Ramandeep added.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Mumbai Indians