Kolkata, March 20 Despite making significant changes to their squad after a disappointing title defense in 2025, Kolkata Knight Riders have retained faith in captain Ajinkya Rahane, who said on Friday that he is embracing the responsibility with calmness and positivity.
Rahane, who topped KKR’s scoring charts last season with 390 runs, could not prevent the team from finishing eighth with just five wins in 14 matches (two abandoned).
However, the veteran insisted that pressure is nothing new, and he is focused on approaching challenges with the right mindset.
"Every year, there are different challenges as a player and also as a captain. What I have learned throughout my journey is to remain positive in every situation, whatever the challenges may be," the 37-year-old said during KKR's first media interaction of the season.
"I have been leading the team since last year, and I am grateful to the franchise for giving me this responsibility. I am taking everything in stride and approaching it in a positive way. There are always opportunities, and you always see opportunities.
"My mindset has always been like that throughout my career – if I see any challenges or difficulties, I try to approach them in a positive way and give my best as a player and as a captain," he added.
After last season's underwhelming finish, Rahane said it is important to start strong while maintaining consistency throughout the long tournament.
"As a team, we would like to start really well this season," he said.
"It is a long tournament, and you don't want to peak too early. As a team, and also the expectations from the boys, you are essentially looking for a consistent performance, rather than a perfect game. There will be errors throughout the tournament.
"But as a unit, what we want to do is to play positive cricket. So, as a unit, as a team management, we are really confident that the team will perform well this season."
KKR enters IPL 2026 with a revamped batting lineup after releasing key players Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer, and making significant investments at the auction, including a record Rs 25.20 crore for Cameron Green.
The squad now boasts explosive options like Finn Allen and Tim Seifert, alongside Sunil Narine and Rahane himself at the top of the order.
Despite the abundance of choices, Rahane remained tight-lipped about the batting order and combinations.
"The batting group we have this year is amazing. Most of the batters are in good form. The players from overseas are also in very good form. We also had a good performance in the World Cup.
"Frankly, I'm not going to tell you the lineup, but as I said, all the batters who are here are very good, and we have started our camp with this, so we are really excited for the season," he said.