Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Ajinkya Rahane admitted it was another demoralising defeat but chose to focus on the positives, particularly Cameron Green’s return to form, with the all-rounder producing a solid knock after a lean run in the loss to Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Friday.

KKR is yet to find its winning formula, slumping to a fifth defeat this season. It is languishing at the bottom of the table with just one point — earned from a rain-abandoned game against Punjab Kings.

“It’s never easy to come out and talk immediately after losing a game. But I’d like to focus on the positives. The way we started, losing three wickets early, it was tough,” said Rahane after the five-wicket loss.

With Green finally finding his rhythm with a 79 off 55 balls after a string of underwhelming scores, it did put Gujarat Titans under pressure in the middle overs.

“Cameron Green’s innings was outstanding, he was under pressure, but the way he counterattacked and took on their bowlers was amazing to see. At 147 for four, getting to around 180 was slightly difficult for us as a batting unit,” he added.

He also praised his bowlers, noting that despite a string of losses, they have stayed motivated — something that was evident in their effort on Friday.

“I still want to credit our bowlers. It’s not easy when things aren’t going your way, but they kept coming back and pushing hard.”

Asked why Green didn’t bowl, Rahane said “He was actually struggling with cramps, which is why he was in and out of the field.” GT skipper Shubman Gill said he would have preferred to finish the game a couple of overs earlier rather than take it deep.

Gill struck an elegant 86 and looked set to seal the chase, but was dismissal in the 17th over.

“Ideally we would have liked to finish it at least a couple of overs before. I’d really would have liked to finish at least another couple of overs before and I was quite disappointed with the way I got out. I wanted to be there till the end and finish it,” said Gill.

Published on Apr 18, 2026