"I always look at someone who can pick wickets" - Ajinkya Rahane names two Indians in his list of five best IPL bowlers

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Ajinkya Rahane picked his five best Indian Premier League (IPL) bowlers. He picked two Indians and three overseas players in his list.

Ajinkya Rahane appeared on AB De Villiers' YouTube channel. He first picked ace Mumbai Indians (MI) pacer Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah has played 145 games and has bagged 183 wickets at an average of 22.02.

He then chose MI and all-time IPL great Lasith Malinga as the second pacer. The former Sri Lankan quick featured in 122 games and picked up 170 wickets.

Ajinkya Rahane then picked another MI pacer in Trent Boult. The left-arm quick has 143 scalps from 120 games. Rahane stated that he went for Boult for his ability to pick up wickets at the top. For the two spinners, he picked his KKR teammates Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy.

"Boult has a record bowling the first over and picking up wickets. It's right up there. For me, I always look at someone who can pick wickets. So Boult with the new ball, Malinga and Bumrah in the end and you have the middle overs covered with Sunil and Varun," he said.

Narine is among the top wicket-takers in the league with 192 scalps from 189 matches. Meanwhile, Varun has 100 IPL wickets from 84 games.

---

KKR failed to defend their title under Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane was acquired by KKR for ₹1.5 crore during the mega auction. As the franchise parted ways with former captain Shreyas Iyer, Rahane was named skipper for the 2025 season.

Notably, KKR had won their third IPL title by beating SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final of the 2024 edition. However, they failed to defend their title under Rahane.

The three-time champions could not even make it to the playoffs. They finished eighth with five wins and 12 points from 14 matches. Nonetheless, Rahane had a decent season with the bat.

He was the highest run-getter for KKR. The right-hander scored 390 runs from 12 innings at an average of 35.45 and a strike-rate of 147.72. He also scored three half-centuries. It remains to be seen whether KKR will continue with Rahane as skipper for the upcoming season.