Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane admitted that his team’s loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Wednesday was made harder by two costly moments in the field, when catches were dropped off Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal. Rahane stressed that while Kohli is always a threat when wickets are in hand, Padikkal has also been showing impressive form in the ongoing tournament. In his view, those missed opportunities ended up swinging the contest, even though KKR had worked hard to build pressure.
Speaking after the match, Rahane acknowledged that chasing-side catches can never be taken for granted, even when the effort is there. He pointed out that Kohli’s batting remains particularly dangerous in the second innings and added that Padikkal’s current run of form has been a key reason for RCB’s momentum. Rahane also said the team understands that mistakes can happen despite diligent preparation and focused execution, especially in high-intensity games.
Rahane then highlighted Kartik Tyagi’s contribution with a focus on his mindset and approach. He said Tyagi has been working hard and that the fast bowler’s clarity about what he wants to execute has stood out. Rahane’s message was that Tyagi’s attitude and commitment with the ball are encouraging signs for the side as the season progresses.
“Yes, and I mean, Virat, we all know that while chasing the total, he is a dangerous player. Anyway, he’s a dangerous player, but Devdutt Padikkal is batting really well in this tournament. So, taking those catches, that’s what really helped us in the last four matches. But these things have happened. The guys are working really hard, but you can drop catches. That’s okay. (About Kartik Tyagi) He’s been really good for us, working really hard. What I like about him is his clear mindset, what he wants to execute while bowling. And that’s a really great sign,” Rahane said after the game.
RCB made the chase look comfortable despite KKR pursuing a total of 193. Kohli struck an unbeaten century, finishing on 105 not out with 11 fours and three sixes, while Padikkal added 39 to help RCB reach the target with five balls to spare. The defining factor for KKR, Rahane’s comments suggested, was that both Kohli and Padikkal survived key dropped-catch chances during the innings.
Kohli was let off when Rovman Powell failed to hold the catch off Kartik Tyagi’s bowling. Padikkal, too, benefited from a missed opportunity, with Vaibhav Arora putting down a chance off Cameron Green. With those chances gone begging, RCB’s batters were able to keep building, and the chase ultimately turned into a controlled win rather than a tense finish.
Rahane also insisted that 192 was not a soft target on the Raipur surface. He credited KKR’s middle-order batting for giving the innings real momentum and said the batters had done a strong job in the central overs. Even if small margins can be debated once the result is known, Rahane felt the batting group had set up a competitive situation.
“I mean, we thought 190 was actually a competitive total on that wicket. The batters who batted in the middle, those middle overs, they thought it was a very good total. You can always say that after the game, 10-15 runs here and there, but I thought it was a very good effort by the batters,” he added.
The victory moves RCB, the defending champions, to the top of the points table thanks to Kohli’s unbeaten hundred and a clinical chase. For KKR, it ends their run of four successive wins, and their playoff hopes now hang on a thread as the season enters a crucial phase.
