Veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane opened up on Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) disappointing IPL 2025 campaign, where he said that batters succumbed to undue pressure. Following a washed-out match against RCB at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, KKR were officially out of the tournament as well. However, on Sunday, KKR suffered a heavy 110-run defeat to SRH at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Rahane, KKR’s captain, finished the season with 390 runs at an average of 35.45. But others failed to make a significant impact.

“See, sometimes what happens is when you have a couple of good seasons as an individual, you put a lot of expectation and pressure on yourself. I feel that was the case for most of the batters – trying to prove how good they are – and it is completely natural. As a human being, when you’re doing well and have had a couple of good seasons, it’s very normal to have those expectations from yourself and also from others,” Rahane said in the post-match press conference.

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However, KKR were bowled out for 168 in 18.4 overs while chasing a huge target of 279. Struggling at 110 for 7 in 13.5 overs, it was Harshit Rana’s quickfire 34 off 21 balls that helped KKR reach a face-saving total.

“I’m sure our players, our boys, will learn from the mistakes. There’s a lot to learn from this season – not just for any particular individual, but for everyone. So many lessons from this season. Unfortunately, two or three players were going through that phase, and that was the reason we couldn’t do well as a batting unit. But again, they are experienced enough to handle the situation, and I’m sure they will come back stronger next year,” Ajinkya Rahane concluded.