Rahane's Second Successive Duck Leaves KKR in Tatters Against Rajasthan Royals

Kolkata Knight Riders have made a disastrous start to their run chase against Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens on Sunday, losing four wickets early in their pursuit of a modest 156-run target, with captain Ajinkya Rahane's second consecutive duck compounding the hosts' misery.

Jofra Archer set the tone with seam movement in the very first over, and Nadre Burger followed up with a delivery that extracted a little extra bounce on an otherwise ordinary ball.

Rahane, looking to cut, could only edge it through to the keeper — his second successive dismissal for nought, having scored zero runs off three deliveries across the last two innings.

Rahane has now registered an unwanted record to his name: the most ducks as an opener in the history of the Indian Premier League.

Sunday's dismissal was part of a broader collapse that has seen both openers, KKR's 25.2 crore star, and their highest run-getter this season, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, all back in the dressing room.

It is a cruel turn of fortunes for a batsman who has been vocal about his strike rate in the IPL.

Despite a promising start in the first couple of matches, Rahane's batting contribution has remained limited through the season, and consecutive ducks in the last two fixtures have further compounded Kolkata's problems.

Fans on social media have reacted with frustration. A selection debate has also been ignited, with supporters questioning why quality batsman Finn Allen has not been included in the playing eleven.

“KKR this season is the worst team ever. Wtf are they doing? They had a chance of winning today's match, now it seems they are going to lose this one also,” wrote one user on X.

“Now KKR has no option other than changing the captaincy,” another user wrote on X.

“Having a quality batsman like Finn Allen and not including him in the XI is a shame on the KKR management,” another KKR fan wrote on X.

Kolkata Knight Riders were 63/4 in 9 overs.