Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane won the Toss and Elected to Bat first in their IPL 2026 match against the Gujarat Titans, but KKR have made
a disastrous start to it.
Batting first, Rahane was dismissed in the very first delivery that he faced. An attempted slog found the toe end of the bat and skied up in the air.
The ball didn't travel at all and found the grateful hands of Kagiso Rabada, as Mohammed Siraj struck in the very first over of the match.
Ajinkya Rahane Performance in IPL 2026
The KKR captain has so far been inconsistent in this IPL season, with just 152 runs after six matches, batting at an average of 25. The 37-year-old made a decent start against Mumbai Indians in the first match with 67 runs, but since hasn't been able to score a fifty in the competition.
Miyan Magic strikes in Ahmedabad! ⚡@mdsirajofficial has just dismissed @ajinkyarahane88 for a DUCK.
- myKhel.com (@mykhelcom) April 17, 2026
To put that into perspective: This is Rahane’s FIRST zero in his last 50 IPL innings (a streak dating all the way back to 2020)! 🦆
The head-to-head dominance is real:
🏏 9… pic.twitter.com/OPkgUzPEUe
GT vs KKR: Fans React after Rahane gifts Wicket
The KKR fans vented their frustration on social media after Rahane gifted his wicket in the very first over. One fan requested KKR owner Shah Rukh Khan to remove him from captaincy.
"Sir Kindly get Ajinkya Rahane stepped down from Captaincy. He is a good player but an able captain. Just pay heed to my suggestion as it hurts me when KKR gets vanquished against any team," he said.
Here are the other reactions-
Mc ajinkya rahane leave my team agar thodi si v sharam bachi hai to.
— Rebel (@Rebellionguy_) April 17, 2026
After opting to bat first, skipper Ajinkya Rahane plays a reckless shot first up!!! Despite a change in the opening combination, KKR fail to get off to a good start. Rahane goes first ball as Siraj strikes early in his first over.#GTvsKKR
— Bharath Kumar Gudlanarva (@BGudlanarva) April 17, 2026
Ajinkya Rahane is their worst batsman and captain, he knows he is playing on the captaincy quota and if he is not the captain, his place is not sure.I am sure once kkr leaves him, no team will pick him again. pic.twitter.com/4njs5z8V6q
— Sujeet Suman (@sujeetsuman1991) April 17, 2026
Ajinkya Rahane end it. JUST LEAVE! 😡😡😡
— Rohan Sengupta (@GarryDevilDada) April 17, 2026
GT vs KKR Playing 11
KKR have made one change in their side as Tim Seifert has replaced Finn Allen. GT have made no changes to their side.
Gujarat Titans (GT): Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ashok Sharma
Impact: Jason Holder/Shahrukh Khan/Manav Suthar/Kulwant Khejroliya/Anuj Rawat
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Ajinkya Rahane (c), Sunil Narine, Tim Seifert (wk), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Anukul Roy, Kartik Tyagi
Impact: Manish Pandey/Varun Chakravarthy/Tejasvi Dahiya/Navdeep Saini/Finn Allen
