Ravichandran Ashwin has expressed concern over Kolkata Knight Riders’ performance in IPL 2026, describing their situation as “grim” and feeling “sorry” for them following the Ajinkya Rahane-led team’s failure to win any of their five matches yet.

However, he expected the team to take inspiration from the 2021 edition when they made a stunning comeback to reach the final after being in the dumps at the start.

The former India off-spinner criticised KKR’s batting order, specifically against spin, urging them to play Rinku Singh at No. 4.

Ashwin didn’t expect immediate turnarounds from individuals and stressed the need for a collective lift.

“You can’t expect (Matheesha) Pathirana to come and turn things around immediately. But remember one thing: a few years ago, in 2021, KKR were down in the dumps. The tournament had to be restarted, and they came back, won consistently, and got on a roll. Everything changed. And what turned it around for them? Fresh energy from someone like Venkatesh Iyer,” he said.

Ashwin highlighted the importance of injecting new energy into the playing XI, suggesting that untapped squad members could play a key role.

“They do have players like Tejasvi Dahiya in the dugout, and Saurabh Dubey, the left-arm quick. There is some freshness in the squad, so maybe someone like that coming in and reinforcing the team could reinvigorate their chances. But it’s not going to be easy for KKR this year.”

Gaikwad form

Ruturaj Gaikwad’s form has been a topic of much discussion since CSK lost their first three matches of the season. As the five-time champions returned to winning ways, their captain’s form hasn’t shown much improvement: 63 runs in five matches.

“The fact that he’s got a couple of wins as captain should really ease him into this tournament. Honestly, if I was sitting in the dugout or if I were Ruturaj Gaikwad, I wouldn’t be too fussed.
T20 is a game where you need to show intent constantly,” Ashwin said.