Ajinkya Rahane Kolkata Knight Riders were proud of their team’s fighting spirit despite ending their IPL 2026 campaign with a 40-run defeat to Delhi Capitals at the Eden Gardens on Sunday. Rahane He played a brilliant innings of 63 off 39 balls during the chase and later admitted that the batting was not easy in the beginning. The KKR skipper said he understands the importance of staying till the end while keeping the scoreboard moving. “Yeah, I mean, the wicket was a bit difficult at the start. I was batting really well and knew a batsman had to go through, so I tried to take my chances. I actually wanted to target the strike rotation as well,” Rahane said after the match. Despite another disappointing campaign that saw KKR finish seventh with six wins from 14 games, Rahane praised the character shown by his players after a difficult start to the season. “It took character, good attitude and resilience to be in the situation we were in after six matches and then come back and survive the league and play that kind of cricket. I’m really proud of everyone.” KKR struggled badly in the first half of the tournament before reviving their playoff hopes with a strong late run. however, Rajasthan Royals“Go win.” Mumbai Indians KKR’s hopes of qualifying were officially over before the match against Delhi started earlier in the day. Rahane admitted that it was disappointing to end the season without a play-off place but stressed that the atmosphere in the dressing room remained positive throughout. “There were crucial moments in the first half of the season where we were losing, but after that, it’s never easy to come back from there. The IPL is a long tournament with a lot of pressure and high pressure situations.” “But again, staying strong, having that character and attitude in every game and doing your best for the team – inside the dressing room we were all really happy. The season didn’t go our way and we didn’t qualify, which is disappointing, but I’m proud of everyone and the effort we put in.” Rahane also revealed what’s next for the squad after the IPL season. “I think the guys have their own commitments at the moment. We’ll just go to our homes, maybe take some time off and then obviously we’ll connect on calls or Zoom and the conversation will go forward.” The veteran batsman also revealed that he has no intention of staying away from cricket for long and will soon return to action in the local league circuit in Mumbai. “For me, just two days off. I’m going to play my local league in Mumbai, which I’m really looking forward to. I’m happy as long as I’m playing cricket, so yes, a couple of days off and then back to cricket,” Rahane said.
