New Delhi: Kolkata Knight Riders captain’s frustration Ajinkya LahaniHis expression was clearly visible on Tuesday as his team suffered yet another heavy defeat, losing by 32 runs to the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. After the loss, Rahane shook hands with the players, congratulated the CSK camp and then spoke directly to the broadcasters.KKR have had a tough season so far and are currently at the bottom of the points table.In five games, they are yet to record a win, four defeats and one without a result. KKR scored just 1 point with a net rating of -1.383 and have a huge advantage in the coming matches.“I think it’s tough right now. Yeah, we didn’t win the game, which is tough. It’s important for our entire team to stay positive, keep our heads high, keep our heads high and stay focused on the present,” Rahane said after the game.“Yes, we have to sit in the dressing room and think about the combinations. We have to make any changes. Sometimes you back the players and the results go your way and that’s okay. But if the results don’t go your way, then you have to think about the combinations. But beyond that, I think it’s all about staying positive, staying alert,” he added.After posting scores of 192/5, CSK restricted KKR to 160/7 with Noor Ahmad posting impressive figures of 4-0-21-3.Rovman Powell (31 not out) and Ramandeep Singh (35) showed resistance with a 63-run stand but it was not enough to prevent defeat.“There was no real momentum with the bat. Absolutely. I thought with the ball, we retreated well. 190 runs on this wicket was really good, especially the power play they got, 70 runs. After that, our bowling team got back to 190, which was a fantastic job. I initially thought our batting, we only scored 36 or 37 runs on the power play. I think this is very important. In the middle stages, it was a bit difficult to hit the spinners, but other than that, the wickets were really good. We need a batsman to hit the ball deep and then finally hit the ball,” Rahane said.For KKR, Kartik Tyagi took 2/35 while Sunil Narine’s figures were 4-0-21-1.“(Tyagi) I think all the credit goes to him. I mean, he works so hard in the net. He’s bowling really well and has a lot of talent. The pace he’s bowling at now is amazing. So I’m really happy for him. Game after game, he’s improving his skills. (On their spinners) Yes, all three spinners. I mean, if you see from the CSK spinners as well, they’re bowling really well. For a batsman, hitting sixes is not easy unless you hit the ball very full. It’s easy. Otherwise, it is not an easy option for the batsman to put the ball back and pass it. So I think the spin bowling was very good from both sides of the ball. As I said, we have to keep our heads above water, stay positive and have confidence,” he added.KKR will next face Gujarat Titans on April 17 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
