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Ajinkya Rahane registered his 14 duck in IPL history when the KKR skipper holes out to Kagiso Rabada on the first ball he faced from Mohammed Siraj.
KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane skies a shot against Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026. (PTI)There seemed to be no ending to Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) struggles in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) after they registered another poor start against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday in Ahmedabad. Having dropped Finn Allen for Tim Seifert, KKR began with the New Zealander smashing Mohammed Siraj for a four through the off-side.
But the start was shortlived as skipper Ajinkya Rahane was dismissed for a first-ball duck, off Siraj, caught by Kagiso Rabada. Going by the statistics, this was Rahane's 22nd duck in the shortest format of the game. Interestingly, 14 out of Rahane's 22 ducks in T20s have come in IPL only.
To make matters worse, KKR lost two more inside the powerplay - Seifert and Angkrish Raghuvanshi - cheaply. The poor start didn't go well with the frustrated KKR fans as they called for Rahane's era as KKR captain to end.
“Time’s Up, Ajinkya. Pack Your Bags. The Rahane era needs to end tonight. Zero performance, zero playoff hopes, and zero reason to keep him. If Rinku isn't firing with the bat or the brain, release him too. But first, get Rahane away from the captain’s armband before the next game. Enough is enough,” one user commented on X (formerly Twitter).
"Ajinkya Rahane as T20 captain in @IPL premier cricket league on the planet in 2026. What are your intentions @KKRiders?? What is his future in T20 cricket? Do you see him making comeback for national team?" another said.
Questions were also targeted towards KKR CEO Venky Mysore on the release of IPL 2024-winning captain Shreyas Iyer. “It’s high time one ask question to Venky Mysore why he let go Shreyas Iyer and make Ajinkya Rahane Captain . We gonna lose every match. @KKRiders,” a user wrote.
Earlier, Rahane won the toss and opted to bat first against Gujarat Titans. While Seifert was KKR's only change, the hosts went with an unchanged team that won games in their previous two matches.
GT vs KKR playing XIs
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill(c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler(w), Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ashok Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Kolkata Knight Riders: Tim Seifert, Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi
Catch the live updates from IPL 2026 with the complete IPL 2026 Schedule and the IPL 2026 Points Table. Also, know who are currently leading the charts in IPL 2026 Orange Cap and IPL 2026 Purple Cap.
About the Author
Koushik Paul
Koushik lives and breathes sports. After transitioning from his own aspirations of becoming a professional athlete, he successfully channeled that lifelong passion into a prolific career, documenting the action both from the sidelines and the editorial desk. With over eight years of industry experience, Koushik joined LiveMint as a Deputy Chief Content Producer in 2024, following impactful stints at Outlook India, India.com, Sportskeeda, Women’s CricZone, and OrissaPOST. A 2017 Journalism and Mass Communication graduate from Maharaja Manindra Chandra College, Kolkata, Koushik has reported on high-profile events including the FIFA U17 World Cup 2017, Ranji Trophy, FIH Pro League, FIH World League finals, the Indian Premier League, and Lionel Messi’s historic visit to Kolkata in 2025. <br><br> While he possesses a versatile command over all sports, he finds his niche in cricket, specializing in breaking news, long-form interviews, global sporting updates, and high-energy live blogs. Koushik’s professional perspective was further sharpened through the 2020 AIPS Young Reporters Programme, where he gained invaluable insights from renowned international journalists, including Keir Radnedge and Riccardo Romani from the United Kingdom, and Martin Mazur from Argentina. Currently based between Kolkata and Delhi, Koushik remains at the forefront of the breaking developments that shape the public sporting discourse. When he isn't tracking scores or deconstructing plays, he can be found exploring new landscapes on his travels or channeling his creative energy into the kitchen. <br><br> If you have a compelling story to share or know an individual who deserves the spotlight, please reach out via email at <a href="koushik.paul@htdigital.in">koushik.paul@htdigital.in</a>.
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