Would the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have won the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) if Ajinkya Rahane had reviewed his LBW decision? Probably yes, but the end result was in the favourof Shreyas Iyer's side, which secured a victory for the ages. It isn't often that you see the captain of a side, being a batter, letting go of a review, especially when the team is in a crisis situation. But, Rahane thought that it's better to save the DRS call in that moment. Unfortunately, the decision came back to haunt him.
Speaking to the media after the game, Rahane took the entire blame of the call to not use DRS over his dismissal while asserting that the chase of the target of 112 runs was quite plausible.
"It's not like Punjab bowled very well. I think we played bad cricket as a batting unit. I take this responsibility as a captain that we couldn't chase this down. But individually, I'm sure, all the players, especially the batters, will think about their own game and improve in the upcoming matches."
The Big DRS Decision
When asked about the conversation he had with the non-striking partner Angkrish Raghuvanshi after being given out LBW, Rahane said that the communication between the two wasn't as clear as it should've been.
"As a batter, I thought that I could save the review for later. It shouldn't happen that I take a review and lose it, then we are only left with one review," Rahane said. "The communication between the two batsmen [him and Raghuvanshi] wasn't that clear. If someone clearly tells you that the impact can be out or it can miss, you take a review as a batter.
"But generally, the batsmen in front of you, you think about what they say. The communication wasn't that clear: 'Maybe it could be the umpire's call, maybe it could be hitting.' That's why I didn't take a review. But again, no complaints. Apart from that, we also were pretty bad as a batting unit. And that was the reason we lost today."
Reckless KKR Batters
The Knight Riders continued to attempt attacking shots even as the ball wasn't coming onto the bat easily. Rahane said that while a positive approach needs to be maintained, his batters were 'reckless' on the day.
"See, as an individual, you still have to be confident, be positive," Rahane said. "Let the ball come and then just take your chances, keep the intent going, but look to play cricketing shots. I thought on this wicket, the sweep was pretty hard to play.
"So again, you got to be really positive, keep that intent going. But we were a little reckless, and we should take full responsibility as a batting unit."
Complacency?
When asked if the players got 'complacent' after restricting the Punjab Kings for a score of 111, Rahane brushed aside the suggestion, saying his teammates were neither complacent nor overconfident.
"All the players are confident. They are pretty experienced enough to handle all the situations. I wouldn't say we were complacent or we were overconfident. It's always about... we didn't bat well. That's the truth and the honest answer.
"It's not only about being complacent or taking things for granted. I don't think we are doing that. Yes, we didn't bat well. We didn't have that game awareness of what the situation demanded on that wicket. When we lost those three or four wickets, it was only about taking your time. Even singles. That was important.
"It was not a flat wicket. There was something for the bowlers. We had to grind it out. T20, I believe, is not only about hitting sixes. Though we are seeing at this moment that most of the players are going for big shots, they want to look good while batting; it's not about that. It's all about reading the situation well. Having that game awareness as a batter, as an individual and then take the game forward - that's what I thought we lacked today."
The KKR skipper said that he needed time to calm himself over the result and understand what needs to be told to the players when they all meet in the dressing room.
"At the moment, there are too many things going in my head," he said. "It is still early. As you all saw,... pretty disappointed. It was an easy chase for us. We fought it out as a batting unit. Let's see. When I go upstairs, I need to keep myself really calm and then think about what to talk to the boys.
"You still have to be positive. It's still halfway to the tournament. As a team, as a unit, we still have to be positive and keep a good brand of cricket. But at the same time, we would definitely like to address the stuff."