IPL 2026: Did R Ashwin take a dig when Rahane was called to bat against Punjab in Kolkata rain?
R Ashwin was in for a surprise when he chose to bat first ahead of Ajinkya Rahane in the game against Punjab Kings at the Eden Gardens on Monday, April 6. KKR, which had lost its first two games, had an early advantage after winning the toss.
Given that it has been raining in Kolkata for the past few days and with rain predicted during the game, it was expected that Kolkata would opt to bowl first. But Rahane had other ideas and said that the team will bat and set a target for PBKS to chase.
Ashwin tweeted soon after the start of the game and said that it was an interesting thought process from the KKR think tank. KKR is also without it Services of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakraborty For the game, his bowling weakened further.
“When you know it’s going to be a rain-affected game, you have an inexperienced bowling attack, you choose to bat first. Interesting thought process,” Ashwin said on X.
Soon after the start of play, the ball started swinging with great effect and Xavier Bartlett got the most out of it. The Australian fast bowler bowled a sensational first over and dismissed Finn Allen and Cameron Green. who once again failed to impress.
Former KKR player Srivatsa Goswami said that it was a bit shocking to see Rahane batting first.
Goswami said, “It was very surprising to see that Rahane won the toss and the sky was cloudy and decided to bat first. A bit of a shock there. Immediately you can see the swing and 2 catches behind. Very courageous decision.”
Why did KKR bat first?
Rahane justified the call to bat earlier in the day by saying that the pitch was dry and there was less grass on the surface.
Rahane said, “We are going to bat first. Looks like a good wicket. A little dry. But looks a very good wicket. There is a little less grass on the surface, so we want to bat first.”
It seems the decision did not go well for KKR as they were 25 for two in 3.4 overs before play was stopped due to rain at Eden Gardens.
ipl 2026 | ipl schedule | ipl points table | ipl video | cricket news | live score
– ends
tune in