KKR And Ajinkya Rahane Shredded For Horrendous Decision: 'Makes Absolutely No Sense'

Kolkata Knight Riders have opened their account on the IPL 2026 points table, and they have the weather gods to thank for it. Their innings got off to a poor start after they inexplicably opted to bat first under an overcast sky at Eden Gardens. Punjab Kings pacers made full use of the favourable conditions, leaving KKR openers struggling, as the hosts were quickly reduced to 16/2.

At 25/2 in 3.4 overs, rain interrupted play, and the match never resumed. It was eventually called off, with both teams awarded a point each. Later, former Australia captain Aaron Finch slammed KKR for choosing to bat first when the conditions dictated otherwise.

“The one thing that you can do is control the controllables. Winning the toss and electing to bat after

the wicket’s been under cover for a day, you know that there’s rain in the air that makes absolutely no sense,” Finch said on ESPNcricinfo. “But that that is just a decision where you look back and you think, how have you got to that decision? So that’s an alarm bell for me.”

Finch said KKR are ‘overthinking’ after having lost their opening clash to Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

“It’s not the fact that they’re two down for 25. It’s the fact that we shouldn’t be batting. The alarm bells are there straight away when you’re making the wrong decision, even when you’ve got all the information,” Finch said.

“So that’s like a player that’s out of form as well, isn’t it? You watch their footwork; you watch how they go about it, and you can tell when somebody’s mind is a little bit scrambled. And to me, that’s a classic case of a team either overthinking or just completely ignoring all the facts on the table,” he added.

KKR’s IPL campaign has been heavily impacted by fitness concerns, with Harshit Rana and Akash Deep ruled out of the entire season, while Matheesha Pathirana is yet to regain full fitness.

The three-time champions will next face Lucknow Super Giants on Thursday.