One year can change everything in the IPL. Just last season, Punjab Kings chased down the highest-ever target in league history—against Kolkata Knight Riders. Fast forward to 2025, and they’ve flipped the script completely. This time, they defended the lowest total of the season—again, against KKR.
Set just 112 to win, KKR couldn’t get the job done. Despite solid efforts from young Angkrish Raghuvanshi and power-hitter Andre Russell, the team fell short. Punjab’s bowlers, especially Yuzvendra Chahal with his 4-wicket haul, did the job. And at the end, it was Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab side walking off as winners.
But what really had fans buzzing was what happened after the match.
Caught on camera was Ajinkya Rahane, who was leading KKR, shaking hands with Iyer and mouthing, “Kya faltu batting kari humne” (What a pathetic batting effort from us). Straight talk, no excuses.
Was watching the #PBKSvKKR game and caught this funny bit as Shreyas and Rahane shook hands at the end. In a self-deprecating way Rahane appears to be saying to Shreyas in Marathi : काय फालतू बॅटिंग केली ना आम्ही (We played terrible, didn't we) 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/bNkC7TXGbU
— निखिल घाणेकर (Nikhil Ghanekar) (@NGhanekar) April 15, 2025
Rahane’s own dismissal was a key moment. He was given LBW while trying to sweep Chahal. Turns out, ball tracking later showed the impact was outside off-stump. If he’d reviewed it, he would’ve survived.
So why didn’t he?
“I thought I might need the review later,” Rahane said later in the press conference. “And the communication between me and Raghuvanshi wasn’t great. He didn’t say clearly whether it was close or not, so I didn’t take the chance.”
He admitted it was a misjudgment but didn’t dwell on it. “No complaints. Bottom line, we batted poorly. That’s why we lost.”
Read Also: “We Were Reckless”: Rahane Fumes as KKR Blow Easy Chase Against Punjab
