Questions were raised on the captaincy of many players in IPL 2026. The name of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane was also included in these. Kolkata’s account of victory was not opened in the first six matches of IPL 2026. Then the team made a comeback, but could not qualify for the playoffs. Now Ajinkya Rahane said that despite the disappointing start of the team in IPL 2026, the thought of leaving the captaincy never came to his mind.

KKR did not have a good start and had to face defeat in five of its first six matches. After this he made a good comeback by winning six of his last eight matches, but his team could not make it to the playoffs. Rahane told reporters after playing his last match of this season, “I have played cricket with a good mentality all my life. It has been very important for me to maintain my spirit.”

On Sunday, KKR had to face defeat by 40 runs against Delhi Capitals, which was the last league match. Rahane said, I am never one to back down. When the team is in trouble, when the team is struggling, it is very important to show your spirit. I never shy away from responsibilities. The thought of leaving captaincy never came to my mind. There is pressure. This is natural, but the pressure is on those who are privileged. Not everyone can bear this pressure. It was important for me to remain strong and not panic in any situation. When you lose 5-6 matches, your focus becomes on the past and future.

Rahane’s performance in batting was disappointing. This experienced opening batsman scored 335 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 135. He said, some of our key players were not able to play due to injuries and it is always a challenge, but I was not focusing on that. I had faith in the Indian bowlers and wanted to give them time. I believed that if we supported them, if we gave them time, they would perform very well under pressure.

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