KKR open up on injury concerns and other challenges ahead of IPL 2026. Take a look and read the full story.
Published: March 20, 2026 11:55 PM IST
Kolkata Knight Riders held a Press Conference at Kolkata
Where KKR captain and former Indian star Ajinkya Rahane, Head coach Abhishek Nayar, Assistant Coach Shane Watson and Mentor DJ Bravo were present at the press conference.Ajinkya Rahane opens up on captaincy pressure ahead of IPL 2026
While in the press conference, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane was asked that, “Are you feeling more pressure this season as captain?”, which he replied, “Every season brings its own expectations and challenges, whether you are a player or a captain. For me, the key has always been to stay positive. I’ve been leading the team since last year and I’m really grateful to the franchise for giving me this responsibility. I’m taking everything in my stride. When there are challenges, there is also an opportunity. I’ve learned over the years to look at challenges as opportunities to grow and contribute. My mindset has always been like that throughout my career and I’ll always try to give my best as a player and a captain.”Abhishek Nayar on KKR’s approach for the IPL 2026 opener against Mumbai Indians
However, KKR head coach Abhishek Nayar was asked about the importance of the opening match against Mumbai Indians, which he replied, “There’s a quote that someone mentioned to me – You must always keep your head where your feet are. Right now, we’re at the Eden Gardens, so our focus is on the practice match we’re playing for our preparation towards the first game in Mumbai. We want to make sure the team is well prepared. As a support group, we’re still understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the team. We want to ensure we’re best prepared to give this team the opportunity to do well. The expectations are there, but the process of reaching Mumbai in the headspace to take the game on is more important than thinking about what might happen there. For us, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, as long as we play the best cricket that we can play.”Add India.com as a Preferred Source
Dwane Bravo backs KKR bowlers despite injury setbacks
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Mentor and former West Indies all-rounder Dwane Bravo was asked about how the bowlers are performing and coping with the injuries, which he replied “In any tournament, once you lose your key bowlers, it’s not something you can plan for but have to accept. The good thing at the moment, especially about Indian cricket, is that there is a lot of depth. They have some guys that can definitely fill the spots. There’s Umran Malik, Kartik Tyagi, who have represented India at some point in time and played IPL before. They’re still young and exciting talents. So, I’m excited to work with this group of fast bowlers. We have the best spin duo in the competition. So, from a bowling point of view, we will be fine. Vaibhav had a fantastic season last year and has been the leader of attack as well. We’ve lost some key players but we feel comfortable knowing that we have what it takes to replace those guys.”Abhishek Nayar reacts on KKR’s biggest challenge in IPL 2026
After that, Abhishek Nayar reflected on KKR’s biggest challenge this season, “I don’t know how the tournament will pan out but initially, it’s about making sure that we get a fit playing eleven and get our combinations right. When you have new combinations in the IPL, it’s important to position them well enough to succeed. I think that will be our challenge and the rest we’ll see how it comes. Once the foundation is in place, we can build momentum as the tournament progresses.”Source link
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