The choice made by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane to bat first in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Eden Gardens on Monday, April 6, caused some eyebrows to be raised by fans and professionals. The city had already experienced a fair amount of rain preceding the match and the weather remained cloudy despite the diminishing showers.
In such cases teams usually like to bowl first in favor of swing favorable conditions and that they can plan their chase, depending on the revised targets in case of rain interruptions. Rahane, though, had supported his hunch at the toss and explained that the pitch was a good one, a little drier, with some less grass cover and decided to make some runs on the board.
His call was risky because the three time champions had weakened in batting at the early stages. As the ball flew around, the pacers of Punjab took advantage of the situation. Arshdeep Singh, pacing the left arm, opened his first over and Xavier Bartlett added influence in the second. Finn Allen, the Kiwi batter, fell to the wicketkeeper Prabhsimran Singh on the fourth ball of the over by Bartlett, and scored very few runs. Cameron Green, who had not been backward in the previous delivery, nicked another one behind the wicket.
As of 3.4 overs, KKR were already at 25/2 when rain stopped the game again, and this made their misfortunes even greater. The premature reverses brought home the gamble that Rahane made by opening with the bat in bowler-friendly conditions, putting KKR on the back foot in an important game.
The responses to Ajinkya Rahane batting first even after the forecast of rain are the following:
Both Rahane and Nayar will be responsible for this disaster
— 𝔸🅖︎𝕄 (@AGM9089) April 6, 2026Ajinkya rahane and abhishek nayar is on a mission to destroy kkr.
Sack them before its too late @iamsrk
— Tyrion (@lannister_29) April 6, 2026So rahane knew there could be potential rain and still chose to bat first because the pitch seemed dry even though he does not have either of his 2 spinners? Make it make sense.
— Chase Masters (@chasemasterspod) April 6, 2026Previously all captains brought their own strategy and led Kolkata Knight Riders in distinct ways. Some won, some lost. But Ajinkya Rahane & Abhishek Nayar might be the most disappointing captain, coach duo in KKR history. @iamsrk #amikkr#KKRSackAjinkyaRahane
— Kritidipta Pramanik (@Iamtupai2) April 6, 2026When you know it’s going to be a rain affected game, with an inexperienced bowling attack at your disposal, you choose to bat first.
Interesting thought process. #ipl2026 pic.twitter.com/uPWQB7Odfr
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) April 6, 2026There are chances of rain and dhurandhar rahane decided to bat first 😹😹 https://t.co/dPJvYPCwI7
— Dhillon (@sehajdhillon_) April 6, 2026Whenever weather comes into play.. team wins toss prefer to bowl.. But today it's otherwise, Rahane win toss n decided to bat 😳 KKR lost 2 wkts in 3.4 overs and now rain interrupted match also 😂#KKRvsPBKS #PBKSvsKKR #KKRvPBKS #PBKSvKKR #ShreyasIyer #AjinktaRahane #IPL pic.twitter.com/cjp6jLk5zS
— Cric_Lover 🏏 (@ankit_bhattar) April 6, 2026Or maybe rahane knew it'll be a washout and chose to bat for some batting practice
— 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘳 (@notsourlmao) April 6, 2026Rahane will say people with logic are jealous of him pic.twitter.com/dVOlEFUHkB
— Mudit 🇮🇳 (@MuditHastir) April 6, 2026Venky Mysore or Srk to recreate this with Rahane after the match 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ZFBv59Az4L
— Green (@thecamgreen) April 6, 2026– Overcast Conditions
– Grass on wicket
– Moisture
– Main spinners injured
Any other team would have bowled first in this scenario.
But Abhishek Nayar and Ajinkya Rahane are special and decided to bat first. pic.twitter.com/FhvHKv7B6P
— KKR Vibe (@KnightsVibe) April 6, 2026
