Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane sustained an injury to his right hand during a 14-run victory over Delhi Capitals. The full extent of Rahane’s injury will be evaluated by the team’s medical staff on Wednesday.
Speaking after the match, Rahane downplayed the severity of his injury. “Not bad,” he commented. “I’ll be okay. I’ll be fine.” According to KKR all-rounder Anukul Roy, Rahane received “a couple of stitches” and is expected to recover in “two-three days”. KKR’s next match is against Rajasthan Royals on 4th May at home.
The incident occurred as Rahane was fielding at short cover and was hit on the hand by a shot from Faf du Plessis, bowled by Andre Russell. The ball redirected to mid-off, and Rahane left the field immediately for medical treatment and didn’t return for the match’s remainder. His hand was heavily strapped.
In Rahane’s absence, with vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer replaced by Vaibhav Arora under the Impact Player rule, Sunil Narine was called to lead for the final nine overs. Narine executed a crucial spell, taking the wickets of Axar Patel, Tristan Stubbs, and du Plessis. Rahane acknowledged Narine’s influence, stating, “204 on that wicket was good, but I thought we were 15 runs short, frankly… you’re chasing 204. As a fielding team, you are one or two wickets away, and that’s what happened.”
Currently, KKR stand seventh with nine points from ten matches. Rahane remains optimistic, reflecting on KKR’s late play-off surge in 2021, “That’s always been the talk when we are not doing well,” he reflected. “But again, it’s in the past. For us, what’s important is staying in the moment, taking confidence from this game and moving forward.”
This resilient attitude highlights Rahane’s leadership as KKR aim to improve their standing in the ongoing season.
