'Attitude shouldn't change with price tag': Rahane defends Venkatesh Iyer

NEW DELHI: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane on Sunday admitted that while the bowling unit did a commendable job in the IPL 2025, it was the batting that fell short."This season has been kind of up and down for us. We had our chances, but as a unit, we didn’t play really well," Rahane told reporters here after KKR ended their campaign with a thumping 110-run loss.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!"

If you win close matches, those are the differences. And the Punjab Kings game, LSG game, and also the CSK game, I thought those 2-3 games could have been slightly different.Who's that IPL player?“What I saw as a captain was that everyone tried their best. It's never easy to come into a season as defending champions — expectations are high. But I can say we gave our best and we’ll definitely come back stronger next year,” he added.Rahane bats for IyerSince the start of the tournament, the spotlight has been firmly on Venkatesh Iyer, ever since KKR forked out Rs 23.75 crore in the IPL auction to bring him back to the setup after initially releasing him, and he was also announced as the team's vice-captain.

However, he hasn’t had the best season, and with every poor performance, he managed only 142 runs in 11 matches for KKR.

“See, what I can say is, whether a player is bought for Rs 20 crore or Rs 2 crore, the attitude on the field shouldn't change — and I don't think it did,” said Rahane.“Venkatesh was focused on the right things. He was training hard, committed during games, and trying to contribute. His attitude was fantastic.”“One off-season can happen to any player. It’s not about money or pressure from the price tag — it’s about form and the team dynamics. For us, unfortunately, three to four players were out of form simultaneously, and that made the difference.”

Rahane on KKR's battingWith 390 runs in 13 matches (one got washed out), Ajinkya Rahane was the leading run-getter for KKR.“Sometimes, after having a couple of good seasons, you start expecting too much from yourself — and that adds pressure,” he said.“It’s human. You’ve done well, people expect a lot, and you start trying to prove how good you are instead of just playing your natural game.”“Two or three of our key batters were going through that phase. It’s not about individuals — it’s something we’ll all learn from.”He remains confident in the potential of his players, saying, “Rinku, Ramandeep, all of them will come back stronger. They’re experienced enough to bounce back.”Rahane also defended his decision not to open for KKR. Rahane was the highest run-scorer in the Syed Mushtaq Ali, playing for Mumbai, he amassed 469 runs in eight innings with a healthy strike rate of 164.“Yes, I’d love to open. I’ve done well in Mushtaq Ali and other formats as an opener. But it’s about what the team needs,” he said.With Quinton de Kock fixed as an opener and last season’s success behind Sunil Narine’s explosive starts, Rahane said he and Angkrish Raghuvanshi adapted to middle-order roles.

“We didn’t want to change too much from a winning combination. We thought 3 and 4 were ideal for us.”

Rahane on bowlersWhile the batting unit came under the scanner, Rahane was full of praise for the team’s bowling. Varun Chakravarthy and Vaibhav Arora are at fifth and seventh position in the Purple Cap race with 17 wickets each. Harshit Rana, one of the finds of last season, picked up 15 wickets.“Harshit has been doing well — for India and for us.

But the challenge is real. Playing high-intensity games and immediately shifting to IPL is tough. It's not an excuse, but it’s a factor,” Rahane said.On Varun, Rahane said, “He did well in the Champions Trophy too. Such tournaments take a toll on your body and mind.""Despite that, as a unit, our bowlers — Harshit, Varun, Sunil (Narine), and Vaibhav — were very clear in their thinking. That was very encouraging.