Following six consecutive defeats, KKR achieved their first win of the season in Kolkata on Sunday.

KKR’s bowling was instrumental in restricting Rajasthan Royals to 155 for 9, with Varun Chakravarthy taking three wickets for 14 runs and Kartik Yadav also claiming three wickets for 22 runs. Despite a significant 81-run partnership between Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (46 runs off 28 balls, including six fours and two sixes) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (39 runs off 29 balls, featuring four boundaries and two sixes), RR fell short of a competitive total.

In response, KKR struggled initially, losing six wickets with a score of 85 before a crucial seventh-wicket partnership between Rinku Singh (53 not out off 34 balls, with five fours and two sixes) and Anukul Roy (29 not out off 16 balls, including one four and two sixes) guided the team to victory with two balls remaining.

Rahane remarked, “Feels really good. There were a lot of emotions. I am really happy for Rinku, Anukul Roy and Varun. Really happy with how both of them batted in that partnership. I like to have one-on-one conversations. It is about reading the situations well. This victory will give confidence. Batting-wise, there’s still room for improvement.”

On Kartik Yadav's performance, Rahane stated, “He is still young, and he has been amazing. Very happy to see him getting that confidence. The pace at which he is bowling is amazing. There is a lot to learn from every game. That is where the cricketing awareness comes.”

Regarding discussions on strike rates involving his team and himself, Rahane said, “Sometimes I feel strike-rate is overrated. Take the game deep, and we saw what happened today. This was a great escape for us. We need to reflect and learn. As a team, we have to come together and have clear communication. The atmosphere in the dressing room has been amazing. The fans have been fantastic; this victory belongs to them. Very positive, you get that positive vibe.”