Kolkata Knight Riders are enduring a horrid start to their 2026 Indian Premier League campaign, having failed to secure a victory in their first five matches. The 2024 champions were only able to open their account on the league table due to a washout.
This marks the first time KKR have gone winless in their opening five matches of a season, placing them in the midst of one of their longest and most difficult runs in IPL history. Much of the scrutiny has fallen on captain Ajinkya Rahane and Rs 25.20 crore all-rounder Cameron Green.
Green, who is returning to action after a lower back injury, has struggled to make an impact despite his hefty price tag. So far, the Australian has managed only 56 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 143.59. Considered a top-order batter in Australia, he has instead been shuffled across the middle order by KKR.
“I think his best spot would be to open the batting,” Aaron Finch, former Australian captain and ESPNcricinfo expert, told the media during IPL 2026 rivalry week. “Coming in through the middle and being exposed to top-quality spin is a really difficult change for a top-order player.”
Finch believes that KKR’s troubles run deeper, as the side contains several top-order batters. Additionally, their most expensive player hasn’t played much T20 cricket recently.
“So, what we’ve seen at the moment is a player who has come in after limited cricket. There hasn’t been a huge amount of T20 cricket that he’s played over the last 12 months, so that probably weighs into the fact that he’s still searching for the best way to execute his T20 plans,” he added.
However, that isn’t the only area where Green has come under scrutiny; his bowling has also faced criticism. The medium pacer has managed just one wicket in five innings at an average of 58, conceding runs at 14.5 per over.
“Bowl the majority of his overs through the middle, maybe one in the powerplay and then a couple through the middle,” Finch added.
KKR travel to the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on April 17 to face a resurgent Gujarat Titans.
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