Royal Challengers Bengaluru were in for a shock at the Eden Gardens after they opted to bowl in the opening game of IPL 2025 against Kolkata Knight Riders. Despite the early wicket of Quinton de Kock in the KKR vs RCB fixture, the hosts got off to a flier with skipper Ajinkya Rahane exhibiting his full range of strokes in the company of a more subdued, yet quite impactful, Sunil Narine.
The Narine-Rahane combination is bound to give teams a few headaches this IPL 2025 season on flat tracks. For one, Rahane and Narine complement each other perfectly. While Rahane has transformed into a brilliant pace hitter, Narine takes apart spin and the duo made it impossible for Rajat Patidar to effectively rotate his bowlers in the Powerplay.
Rahane dominated the bowling, smashing his half-century off just 25 balls as he pummeled the clueless RCB attack to all corners of the Eden Gardens in the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Rahane smashed 33 runs off 16 balls against pacers, taking apart Rasikh Salam for 18 off 10 balls and Yash Dayal for 15 off 5. He was more controlled against the spinners before Krunal Pandya got the better of him for 56 off 31 balls.
But the early onslaught caught RCB by surprise with Patidar having to make bowling changes that were possibly not in their plans at the onset. The Rahane of today can do this after a miraculous transformation in the format since 2023.
The former India middle-order batter had underwhelming stats in the IPL, particularly in terms of his strike-rate. Known as someone capable of doing the sheet anchor role, Rahane donned that avatar for multiple franchises in his IPL career until 2023.
A career-changing phase unfolded for him thereafter as CSK picked him at the IPL 2023 auction, handing him a free license to go after the bowling.
“When I came to CSK last year, my role was completely clear. Whenever I get an opportunity, go out and play my game, play with freedom. That gave me clarity that I know my game really well. If I can play with freedom and positive intent, that’s my game. When the team management is backing you, you just have to trust them. You just go out there and play your game without thinking about the outcome,” Rahane had said last year.
“Credit goes to CSK management and Mahi bhai [for my transformation]. They said they would back me completely if I got an opportunity, and told me what my role was before the season. They did not interfere at all, and the freedom that CSK gives is massive,” he added.
Rahane smashed 568 runs in 27 matches for CSK, averaging 25.81, but a notable aspect of his batting was a strike-rate of 147.
“The Rahane I knew at CSK was completely different to the Rahane I knew with the Indian team,” Ambati Rayudu told ESPNCricinfo ahead of the IPL 2025 Opener.
KKR now have an option to push Sunil Narine and Ajinkya Rahane at the top of the order later in the season and use someone like Luvnith Sisodia as the wicketkeeper to also free up another overseas bowling spot for someone like Anrich Nortje. Skipper Rahane has begun the season with a bang and given how his recent run of form has been, expect more fireworks this season.
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