Rahane tried out batting at the No.3 slot in the first match and opened the innings in the second .
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) face a major headache ahead of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) with their newly elected skipper Ajinkya Rahane struggling to get going in both the intra-squad games so far.
Rahane, who was dismissed for a cheap score of 13 (according to X due to unavailability of scores) in the first game, managed to just score eight runs in the second practice game today (March 17).
Notably, the right-hander tried out batting at the No.3 slot in the first match and opened the innings in the second but didn’t help.
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With KKR already boasting promising openers in the likes of Sunil Narine, Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the No.3 spot looks like the only likely position available for Rahane in the playing XI.
Someone like Rahane is most effective when batting during the Powerplay. In the scenario the openers manage to build a solid partnership and continue their innings, Venkatesh Iyer could instead step in at the number three position. His ability to accelerate the scoring rate, especially when the field is spread out, makes him a strong candidate for that role. In such a scenario, the captain might have to wait for his opportunity to bat.
KKR’s heavy artillery will swing into action next in the middle overs and at the death with the availability of Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, and Ramandeep Singh, which throws open the possibility that Ajinkya Rahane might also not get a chance to bat.
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