New Delhi: Ajinkya Rahane Kolkata Knight Riders hailed their team’s poise and experienced stars after beating Mumbai Indians by four wickets to stay alive in the race for the IPL 2026 playoffs.Rahane was particularly pleased with the veteran spinner’s efforts. Sunil Narayan And the mystery spinner Varun Chakraborty.His disciplined bowling helped KKR keep Mumbai under pressure throughout the innings.“It was really important, I was really happy with the way Varun and Sunil were bowling,” Rahane said after the win at Eden Gardens.The KKR skipper also heaped praise on the veteran batsman. Manish Pandeywho anchored the chase with a calm 45-run knock in a pressure game.“Really happy for Manish, his work ethic and attitude, it’s not easy when you’re not playing regularly. Very happy with today’s knock and every member is happy for Manish,” Rahane added.KKR’s win came after their bowlers restricted MI to 147/8 despite a late cameo from Corbin Bosch. During the chase, Manish Pandey and Ruman Powell put together a crucial partnership before Rinku Singh sealed the win.Rahane said that KKR’s recent improvement has come from focusing on one game at a time rather than looking too far ahead in the tournament.“What’s worked for us the last 6-7 games is being in the moment and taking it one game at a time,” he said.The win keeps Kolkata firmly in the race for the playoffs in the latter stages of the league season.
