Former Chennai Super Kings batsman S Badrinath has expressed serious concerns about Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of IPL 2026, calling captain Ajinkya Rahane the “weak link” in the team.
With less than 10 days left for KKR’s first game against Mumbai Indians, Badrinath has raised questions about the team’s leadership and line-up decisions, especially in light of the multiple injuries.
“Ajinkya Rahane is definitely a weak point. His captaincy itself is a weak link. All their big investments went wrong. They trusted in Harshit Rana and invested in him but he was left out. Patialana was a huge signing and now he is doubtful about it. Mustafizul was another big investment and he was left out. They made many costly decisions as there was uncertainty around most of their big investments,” Badrinath said on his YouTube said on the channel.
He also targeted KKR’s massive acquisition of Cameron Green for a record Rs 252 million. Badrinath questioned the logic behind the move and pointed out the all-rounder’s recent struggles at the international level.
“You signed him for Rs 2,520 crore but he was seriously out of form. He gave it his all for Australia in the T20 World Cup. Cameron Green’s performance was purely because of the hype. He is not worth that much money. Did he do anything single-handedly in the IPL? Australian players always get hyped and he benefits from it. I think KKR’s move is bad,” he added.
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Despite the criticism, Rahane performed well last season and became KKR’s top run-scorer with 390 runs in 13 games at an average of 35.45 and a strike rate of 147.73.
KKR will kick off their IPL 2026 season against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, March 29, and the pressure is already mounting on the three-time champions.
