IPL 2025: In KKR’s triumph over the Delhi Capitals, captain Ajinkya Rahane suffers a hand injury

The captain, Ajinkya Rahane, was unfortunate to sustain a hit on his right hand while fielding during the Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) thrilling 14-run victory over the Delhi Capitals (DC) on Tuesday night. After the veteran batsman was forced to leave the field in the middle of innings, KKR had to delegate leadership responsibilities to Sunil Narine, who delivered a game-winning performance to preserve their hopes of making the playoffs.

Ajinkya Rahane left the pitch, obviously in pain, and did not come back with his hand tightly bound.

Faf du Plessis whacked Rahane in the hand with a drive off Andre Russell’s bowling when he was fielding at short cover. Ajinkya Rahane was confident about his speedy recovery despite the injury concern. “Not too awful. I’ll be alright. At the presentation after the game, he declared, “I’ll be alright. Anukul Roy of KKR, who was participating in his first match of the season, gave additional information regarding the captain’s injuries.

“It doesn’t appear to be very serious. It could take him two or three days. He’s fine for the time being, but the physicians will provide a more detailed picture. Anukul stated, “It’s manageable, but he received a few stitches.”

In IPL history, Sunil Narine receives his 17th POTM award.

Impact Player Vaibhav Arora had already been replaced by vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer, so KKR relied on their seasoned spinner to guide the team through the rest of the innings. With an outstanding 3/29 spell, 27 runs with the bat, a strong direct hit to run out KL Rahul, and a deft catch at reverse point, the 36-year-old contributed significantly to the victory.

Due to a strong PowerPlay that saw them score 79/1 in the first six overs, KKR started the game with a total of 204/9. While Rinku Singh (36 off 25) and Andre Russell (25 off 10) made sure they reached the 200-run mark despite a mini-collapse in the final overs, Narine and Rahmanullah Gurbaz got off to a strong start as they hit boundaries with ease.

In response, DC had du Plessis (62), Axar Patel (43), and Vipraj Nigam (38) in the lead. However, their dreams were dashed when Narine dismissed Axar, Stubbs, and du Plessis in a four-over session. His combined efforts and Varun Chakravarthy’s crucial breakthroughs held DC to 190/8.