‘Ability to remove emotions from on-field decisions sign of great leader’

Ajinkya Rahane’s assured captaincy in steering the Kolkata Knight Riders to victory over the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday earned him plenty of praise, particularly since the defending champions had managed to shake off the effects of the heavy defeat against the Mumbai Indians just days before. Kolkata Knight Riders come into the IPL 2025 season as the defending champions but having lost the core of their leadership group, including captain Shreyas Iyer. Understandably, KKR have had a rollercoaster season this time around with two wins and two defeats in four IPL 2025 games. Starting the season with a heavy seven-wicket defeat against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, KKR bounced back with a heavy win over Rajasthan Royals. But then they lost to Mumbai Indians immediately afterwards eight wickets in a bruising defeat.
But KKR took a firm step in stabilising their rocky ship with the 80-run victory over the Hyderabad team.
England cricketer Eoin Morgan was full of praise for the way Rahane had handed things for KKR.
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“KKR absolutely blew SRH away, and for me, that’s a great sign of character. When you suffer a heavy defeat, especially away from home, bouncing back is never easy. Varun Chakravarthy summed it up well (in his comments in the presentation ceremony): there was no blame game, just belief in their ability… Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy stood out. He managed his bowling options smartly— holding back Andre Russell, not using Moeen Ali or Venkatesh Iyer, and going straight for the kill. That’s exactly the kind of approach you expect from a team that had its back against the wall,” Morgan said on JioStar.
Morgan also said: “Rahane was excellent. The ability to remove emotions from on-field decisions is a sign of a great leader, and Rahane did just that tonight. As a captain, you look for ways to press your advantage, and after taking early wickets, he did exactly that. Rahane’s bowling changes were spot on and played a key role in shaping the outcome of the game.”