IPL 2026: On Thursday against SRH, Rahane opened again but couldn’t make much of an impact in the powerplay, departing for just 8 runs off 10 deliveries. (CREIMAS)Smarting from their second loss of IPL 2026 in as many matches against the Sunrisers Hyderabad at Eden Gardens, Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Ajinkya Rahane lashed out at the critics of his batting style and the ‘outside noise’ regarding his strike-rate.“I think I have one of the best strike-rates so far from 2023, and people who are talking about me are probably not watching the game, and they have a certain agenda against me. They don’t like me playing; they don’t like to watch me play. The amount of success I got, I guess, they are jealous. I am not too worried. You guys know what I am doing. Just one bad inning, not a bad innings, but my intent was there. Sometimes, as a batter, you don’t get that rhythm, you don’t get that flow,” he said at the post-match press conference.The 37-year-old started the season by making 67 off 40 balls against the Mumbai Indians on Sunday while opening with New Zealand’s Finn Allen. However, it was a knock of two halves, where Rahane made 36 runs in 18 balls in the powerplay, but tapered off after that, ultimately taking 22 deliveries to make his remaining 31 runs, which many critics have pointed out had slowed KKR’s momentum.ALSO READ | Travishek come to the party for Sunrisers, while KKR batters implode in another damaging defeat to start season“People who are talking, either they don’t understand the game, and I think they want me to, you know, play a different kind of innings. They didn’t expect that Ajinkya Rahane will basically improve his game this much. I am happy they are talking about me, negative or positive. Let them talk,” Rahane said.“It’s been amazing with Finn Allen. We had a very good partnership in Mumbai. For the first 6 overs, we always look to play fearless cricket with freedom. At times, you will struggle, but that’s ok. It’s important to accept, but I know what I am doing, what I did in the past, and I back myself rather than thinking about whoever is talking about me. Let them talk”, he added.On Thursday against SRH, Rahane opened again but couldn’t make much of an impact in the powerplay, departing for just 8 runs off 10 deliveries as the Knights failed to overhaul the steep score of 226 runs at the Eden Gardens.Story continues below this adAfter the defeat against Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2026 opener, Rahane was asked about the murmurs hovering over his future as a player. The right-hander had said that many people had been talking about him over the last two decades and he did not intend to show anyone how talented he was.Sayak Dutta is Copy Editor (Sports) at The Indian Express and is based in Kolkata. He specializes in the coverage of football, cricket, and a variety of other sports. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd