He summed it up by saying it was a disappointing move for KKR but a positive one for RCB.
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has raised questions about Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy during Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2025. He felt Rahane made a mistake by bringing Sunil Narine into the bowling attack too late.
KKR batted first and scored 174 runs, setting a target of 175 for RCB in the IPL 2025 opener held in Kolkata. However, RCB chased it down easily, winning by seven wickets with 22 balls remaining.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra praised Phil Salt for his quick half-century against his old team and questioned why Rahane waited so long to use Narine in the bowling attack.
Aakash Chopra praised Phil Salt for proving his doubters wrong with a brilliant knock. He highlighted Salt’s powerful hitting, joking that his sixes went so far they almost reached Salt Lake. Chopra also pointed out that while KKR suffered a loss, RCB had plenty to celebrate, especially with Virat Kohli and Salt’s performances.
“There was a question mark on Salt’s form. You can give a thumbs up with both hands there. It’s another thumbs up for RCB along with Virat Kohli’s excellent batting. It was Salt’s assault. Two balls had to be brought back from Salt Lake. They went very far. One team’s loss, another team’s happiness,” Aakash Chopra said (as quoted by sportskeeda) .
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The former Indian Opener questioned Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy decision, wondering why he delayed bringing Sunil Narine into the attack when RCB batters were scoring freely. Chopra felt Rahane missed an opportunity to change the game by using Narine earlier. He summed it up by saying it was a disappointing move for KKR but a positive one for RCB.
“There I felt that what I said for Rajat Patidar, it seemed the same for Rahane. Why weren’t you bringing Sunil Narine? Who were you waiting for? They kept hitting but you were not bringing him. He got very late in bringing him. So Rahane missed a trick there. So thumbs down for KKR, thumbs up for RCB,” he added.
Even though Ajinkya Rahane had a tough day as KKR captain, he impressed with the bat. Continuing his good form from domestic cricket, Rahane scored a solid 56 runs off just 31 balls. His knock included six fours and four sixes, and he batted at an impressive strike rate of 180.65.
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