Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes the lack of good quality batters against spin is going to be Kolkata Knight Riders’ biggest problem in IPL 2026. Pathan highlighted that since captain Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Rana left the franchise, the team doesn’t have good batters against the spinners, which can lead to their downfall in the middle overs.
After winning the title in IPL 2024 under Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy, KKR could not qualify for the playoffs in the previous season. Thus, the three-time champions will want to come up with an improved show in the upcoming season.
Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube Channel, “The real problem for Kolkata, which I think they did not properly address in the auction, has been: playing spin well. Since Shreyas Iyer left, since Nitish Rana left, they have not bought the middle-order players who can handle spin in the auction. That has actually been the biggest issue, and this is why we saw last year’s results.”
Pathan reckons the same issue can persist in the upcoming edition for Ajinkya Rahane’s team.
He added, “Even this season, when I look at this team, I feel that problem will persist. Can you say that Rovman Powell is someone who plays spin really well? Sure, his numbers at number four for the West Indies are very good. There, you face spin. But when you come into this league, spin plays a different role. So, is he capable of that?”
The 2007 T20 World Cup final hero said Ajinkya Rahane’s strike rate drops significantly when he faces spin in the middle overs.
He added, “Then Ajinkya Rahane is very good when batting at the top. But when he comes in the middle, the problem appears. His strike rate against spin drops significantly, almost around 100. Then can you say that Rinku Singh is a good hitter of spin or a good hitter of fast bowling? He is a good fast-bowling hitter. Ramandeep also comes in towards the end, ideally against fast bowling. If he can play well against spin, then that will definitely be an advantage. So actually, the issue Kolkata should have addressed, they did not. The spin problem, I think, will remain this year as well.”
Kolkata Knight Riders will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on 29th March.
