'I can adapt to any situation' - Ajinkya Rahane on his approach in IPL 2025

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are having a slightly hot and cold season this year with some inconsistent performances from some players. The only KKR batter who has shown consistency is skipper Ajinkya Rahane, who has been the top run scorer for the franchise this season so far.

The batter has scored 297 runs in the 10 matches he has featured in at an average of 37.12 and has a strike rate of 149.24. Despite some commendable performances, there are still some people who think that he should be playing a more aggressive game, making comparisons to his time at Chennai Super Kings (CSK). However, Rahane has stated that he can adapt to any situation and said he has to play the innings according to the team’s needs.

“I can adapt to any situation, For me, yes, you are seeing me play with different strike-rates for the last two to three years for CSK and for Mumbai when I was playing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. I even started here with a very good strike-rate, but I had to adapt to the situation because our batters were struggling to get runs. So it’s important as a batter to adapt to the situations very quickly,” Rahane said during an interview on Star Sports.

“For me, yes, you are seeing me play with different strike-rates for the last two to three years for CSK and for Mumbai when I was playing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. I even started here with a very good strike-rate, but I had to adapt to the situation because our batters were struggling to get runs. So it’s important as a batter to adapt to the situations very quickly,” Rahane added.

I’m an attacking player: Ajinkya Rahane

Rahane also revealed that he is a naturally attacking player and just backs his instincts when he is approaching the game. He also opened up on the importance of rotating the strike as a strike rate of 120-130 can also win games for the team based on the situation of the match.

“I am just backing my natural game. I’m an attacking player. I like to back my instincts. I like to play my shots. But if the situation demands that me to play with like strike rate of 140 or 150 or sometimes 130, you know, we have seen that in this IPL, that playing 120-130, you know, taking the singles and doubles can win the match for your team. I can do that,” Rahane said.

“If a team wants me to play with a strike rate of 180, 190, or 200, I can do that as well. So it’s about the situation. We want to read the situation really well, you know, have that match awareness, and try and play accordingly," the KKR skipper concluded.