Why was Cameron Green not given bowling? Rahane's shocking revelation, 'Ask this question to Cricket Australia'

New Delhi. Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane answered many big questions after the defeat at the hands of Mumbai Indians in his first match of IPL. The most talked about thing after the match was that why did Rahane not bowl to Cameron Green, one of KKR's most expensive all-rounders? On this Rahane put the ball directly in the court of 'Cricket Australia'. When Kevin Pietersen asked Rahane a question about Green's bowling in the post-match presentation, Rahane's answer was quite blunt and direct. Rahane said, 'You should ask this question to Cricket Australia.' It is clear from Rahane's statement that there are some strict instructions or 'workload management' instructions from the board regarding Green. However, Rahane expressed hope that Green would start bowling soon, so that the balance of the team could be improved.

The kind of aggressive batting Ajinkya Rahane is doing (40 balls, 67 runs) even after crossing the age of 37, when Pietersen asked him about his age and form, Rahane jokingly said, 'I am still young, KP!' He said that he is very happy with his current batting and wants to continue it further.

Mumbai Indians defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets with a partnership of 148 runs for the first wicket with half-centuries from Rohit Sharma (78 runs) and Ryan Rickleton (81 runs), ending the losing streak in the first match of the tournament for 13 seasons. Mumbai Indians have always been a slow starting team in the IPL. The team last won its first match in the IPL in April 2012 in which it defeated Chennai Super Kings by eight wickets. The team won the title five times between 2013 and 2020, but the losing streak continued in the first match.

Youth bowling and learning from defeat
Rahane admitted that Mumbai Indians batted well and KKR's bowling attack proved to be a bit inexperienced. He said, 'We have a young bowling attack, it is a learning curve for them. Our bowlers will get to learn a lot. However, Karthik Tyagi returned after a long time and bowled brilliantly, which is a big positive for us.

Struggle on the field and path to the future
Rahane looked in a lot of pain during the match. He told that he had a lot of cramps in his calves, due to which it was becoming very difficult to bat. Rahane finally said that we have done a great job in batting, but we are yet to find the right balance in bowling.

Rahane came out of the field limping.
Ajinkya Rahane was forced to leave the field in the second innings due to muscle strain. In Rahane's absence, Indian all-rounder Rinku Singh took over the responsibility of captaincy. Rinku was made the vice-captain before the start of IPL 2026.