KKR picked Ajinkya Rahane, the veteran batter as their captain in 2025 after Shreyas Iyer was released. Despite a poor season, they have planned to stick to the Mumbai star as their captain. They also have a new coaching panel with Abhishek Nayar and Shane Watson holding key roles.
3 players who are KKR's biggest burden in IPL 2026
KKR will be eyeing their maiden trophy under Ajinkya Rahane, but the skipper himself seems a little unfit in the side, who have several top-order players who are younger and bring in some dynamic ability to excel in T20 cricket.
Rahane did not have a poor season in domestic T20s as he featured in SMAT games for Mumbai. The veteran batter scored 391 runs at a promising average of 48.87 and a strike rate of nearly 168. Despite form, his batting role will be a burden for the KKR management.
Umran Malik
Coming from the Northernmost part of India, Umran Malik did not play the majority of the domestic season for his domestic team, J&K. Umran featured in a game in the Buchi Babu tournament and one in the Ranji Trophy, where he picked 3 and 2 wickets respectively.
Matheesha Pathirana
This would inarguably be KKR's biggest burden going into the 2026 IPL. They revamped their squad and bought the Lankan pacer for a massive INR 18 crores in the mini-auction. However, in the very first season, Pathirana was surrounded by a massive injury scare.
After such a massive investment, KKR would have considered him to lead the pace attack, but this would be disappointing for the Knight Riders.
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