Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane was forced to leave the field with an apparent foot injury during his team's high-scoring IPL 2026 season-opener against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday evening.
The incident added a worrying note to an otherwise strong batting display by KKR.
Rahane, who had earlier played a remarkable knock on his home ground, went down clutching his right foot just before the start of the 5th over while fielding. He received on-field treatment from the physios but eventually walked off the ground. In his absence, vice-captain Rinku Singh stepped up as the on-field skipper for the remainder of the innings. Manish Pandey came in as a substitute fielder.
Ajinkya Rahane's explosive start before injury scare
The 37-year-old Rahane had been in superb touch earlier, smashing 67 runs off just 40 balls. His innings was studded with three fours and five sixes, helping KKR race to a formidable total of 220/4 in 20 overs. He shared a strong partnership with young Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who contributed a quick 51 off 29 balls.
Rahane brought up his half-century in only 27 deliveries, silencing any early doubts about his form and leadership. Fans at the Wankhede cheered loudly for the local boy as he dominated the MI bowling attack. However, Shardul Thakur eventually dismissed him for 67, caught by Hardik Pandya.
Despite the injury concern, Rahane's performance highlighted his experience and ability to perform under pressure in the IPL. KKR will now hope the foot issue is not serious and does not sideline their skipper for long, especially after dealing with multiple bowling injuries heading into the season.
What this means for IPL 2026
This early injury scare comes as a setback for KKR, who are already managing several absences in their bowling department. Ajinkya Rahane's leadership has been under scrutiny, but his batting today showed why the team backed him as captain.
As the match progresses with MI chasing, all eyes will be on Rahane's fitness update.
Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Playing XI
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Blessing Muzarabani
Kolkata Knight Riders Impact subs: Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Kartik Tyagi, Saurabh Dubey, Tejasvi Dahiya
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton(w), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Sherfane Rutherford, Naman Dhir, Shardul Thakur, Mayank Markande, AM Ghazanfar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah
Mumbai Indians Impact subs: Suryakumar Yadav, Corbin Bosch, Robin Minz, Raj Bawa, Ashwani Kumar