After defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) crashed out of IPL 2025 in the league stage, captain Ajinkya Rahane blamed the batting department for the team's dismal campaign, in which they won five matches and lost seven.

"This season has been kind of up and down for us. We had our chances, but as a unit, we didn’t play really well," Rahane told reporters here after KKR ended their campaign with a thumping 110-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad at Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi.

"If you win close matches, those are the differences. And the Punjab Kings game, LSG game, and also the CSK game — I thought those 2-3 games could have been slightly different.

“What I saw as a captain was that everyone tried their best. It's never easy to come into a season as defending champions — expectations are high. But I can say we gave our best, and we’ll definitely come back stronger next year,” he added.

Rahane was the leading run-getter for KKR, scoring 390 runs in 13 matches. “Sometimes, after having a couple of good seasons, you start expecting too much from yourself — and that adds pressure,” he said.

“It’s human. You’ve done well, people expect a lot, and you start trying to prove how good you are instead of just playing your natural game.

“Two or three of our key batters were going through that phase. It’s not about individuals — it’s something we’ll all learn from.”

He remains confident in the potential of his players, saying, “Rinku, Ramandeep, all of them will come back stronger. They’re experienced enough to bounce back.”

Rahane also addressed his decision to not open the innings for KKR.

“Yes, I’d love to open. I’ve done well in Mushtaq Ali and other formats as an opener. But it’s about what the team needs,” he said.

With Quinton de Kock fixed as an opener and last season’s success built on Sunil Narine’s explosive starts, Rahane said he and Angkrish Raghuvanshi adapted to middle-order roles.

“We didn’t want to change too much from a winning combination. We thought 3 and 4 were ideal for us,” he said.