Former Indian cricketer and commentator Murali Karthik has supported Ajinkya Rahane As the best captain of IPL 2026, lauding the Kolkata Knight Riders skipper for guiding the battered squad through a tough campaign and keeping them in contention for the playoffs till the final day of the league stage.KKR eventually finished seventh in the points table and missed out on a playoff spot thereafter. Rajasthan RoyalsA victory against Mumbai Indians ended their hopes. However, Karthik believes Rahane’s leadership deserves recognition given the challenges he faced throughout the season. Speaking to CricketBuzz, Karthik hinted at the circumstances surrounding KKR’s campaign, including injuries, player unavailability and criticism of Rahane during the early part of the tournament.“One reason is that half his army was wiped out before the first coin was flipped,” said Karthik.“The other thing is the kind of darts that have been thrown at him since the start of the season, which was not his fault. There were a lot of players who were not performing.”“To pick them up from there and almost qualify with that kind of run, with that kind of side, I’ll give it.”“Others have settled people around them. They know what they’re doing. But for one individual, everyone was beating the crap out of him.”“To come back from that and up the side, so I’ll go with Rahane.”Rahane’s second season as KKR captain began under difficult circumstances. The franchise faced several setbacks before gaining momentum in the tournament. Fast bowler Harshit Rana was ruled out for the entire season after knee surgery, while Akash Deep was ruled out of the tournament with a lumbar stress injury. Mathisha Pathirana also suffered a hamstring injury and was unavailable for most of the season. He returned to play one match but got injured again after playing just one over. KKR were further affected when Mustafizur Rahman was not available ahead of the tournament after the BCCI directed the franchise to release him.The results initially reflect these struggles. KKR failed to win any of their first six matches, picking up just one point in a rain-affected game against Punjab Kings. At that point, their playoff hopes were gone.However, the team had its strongest recovery of the season. KKR won six of their last eight league matches to force their way back into contention and stayed alive in the playoff race till the final day of the league stage.Rahane himself was under intense scrutiny during this period. While he started the season strongly with a 40-ball 67, his batting comeback slowed considerably as the tournament progressed. He finally finished IPL 2026 with 335 runs in 14 matches at an average of 25.76 and a strike rate of 135.08.Despite these modest numbers with the bat, Karthik believes Rahane’s greatest contribution came as a leader. Managing an injury-hit squad, dealing with outside criticism and overseeing a remarkable turnaround after a disastrous start were among the factors that convinced the former India spinner to name the KKR skipper as his captain of the season.
