'Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy stood out' - Eoin Morgan extols KKR captain after win against SRH

Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper-turned-commentator Eoin Morgan praised the performance of Venkatesh Iyer and leadership of Ajinkya Rahane in the match between KKR and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Eden Gardens on Thursday, April 3.

The Ajinkya Rahane-led side made a great comeback in the previous game against the Orange Army. KKR had suffered a disappointing defeat against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium in the match prior to the last one. The 80-run win will be a confidence booster to the team going into their next few games.

Former England skipper Morgan also had a lot of positive things to say about the performance of the team where he openly praised how Rahane rotated the bowlers in the second innings and how the knock played by Venkatesh Iyer could be the turning point for him as he seemed to have finally overcome his struggles from the last three games.

“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. We've seen big-money players struggle under the weight of expectations, but if this knock is anything to go by, it could kickstart Venkatesh Iyer’s 2025 season and boost KKR’s batting line-up,” Morgan said on JioHotstar.

“They absolutely blew them 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—there was no blame game, just belief in their ability. The batters stepped up, and the bowlers capitalized on every opportunity, delivering a 5-0 powerplay—a phenomenal effort. Taking out key opposition players early makes a massive impact, and KKR did that brilliantly,” Morgan added.

Rahane played a key role in shaping the outcome of the game: Morgan

Eoin Morgan further praised Rahane as a skipper, where he talked about how the 36-year-old top-order batter marshalled his troops in the game and how he put the pressure on the opposition with his bowling changes.

“He 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. His bowling changes were spot on and played a key role in shaping the outcome of the game,” Morgan concluded.