"That's A KKR Way": Fans See Gautam Gambhir In Ajinkya Rahane After Bold Field Placement

Fans See Gautam Gambhir In Ajinkya Rahane [Source: X]

In a must-win encounter against the Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens, three-time champions KKR left nothing to chance. Captain Ajinkya Rahane set up an aggressive field, which reminded fans of former skipper Gautam Gambhir.

The match began with KKR asking MI to bat first. However, the pitch was slow, and Mumbai collapsed unexpectedly, losing 3 wickets with just 23 runs on the board. 

Before things could get worse, rain stopped play, and Mumbai breathed a sigh of relief. 

Ajinkya Rahane sets up an aggressive field

After a brief delay, the play resumed after 9:00 PM, but fortunately, no overs were reduced. By then, the Mumbai Indians had already lost four wickets with Hardik Pandya out in the middle to support Tilak Varma.

Meanwhile, for the 10th over, legend Sunil Narine came on to bowl, and Ajinkya Rahane decided to put pressure on MI batters. He asked for a helmet from the dugout and placed himself at short leg.

Not only that, but Rahane also added a slip as Narine planned to trap Pandya. Such aggressive field set-ups are unusual in T20 cricket. But on situational demand, Ajinkya didn’t shy away from executing bold plans.

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Notably, these wild scenes reminded KKR fans of the good old days when Gautam Gambhir used to lead the franchise. In a similar incident in the past, Gambhir set up an aggressive field with short leg and slips against MS Dhoni when the latter was playing for Rising Pune Supergiants.

Now, Ajinkya Rahane has carried forward his legacy, and KKR fans had an instant hit of nostalgia. 

KnighThanos - KKR

@KnighThanos

Gambhir Retired in 2018. Rahane Captaincy Debut in 2018: #IPL2026 #KKRvMI #KKRvsMI

May 20, 2026, 9:27 PM

Prantik

@Pran__07

Rahane putting himself at short leg against Hardik. That's a KKR way to humiliate the opposition and it all started with GG.

Sandy

@ThatWickedGuy_

Narine having short leg against Hardik. Hardik's thala transformation is complete.

Prasanna

@prasannalara

There are spinners happy to end their 4 over spell with an economy of around 10 an over and there is Sunil Narine bowling with a slip and short leg in the 10th over of the match 🐐

ProbabilityImpliesPossibility

@ProbabilityImp2

We often see debutants or new players at short leg but here, look wt selfless Rahane who is captain too, is standing at short leg. Unbelievable dedication! People don't see it too we fans see it Ajju da

May 20, 2026, 9:25 PM

MI in huge trouble as KKR dominate

Meanwhile, the Mumbai Indians were toyed with by KKR at the Eden Gardens in the 65th match of the IPL 2026 season. Ryan Rickelton was dismissed for 6, while Rohit Sharma could put on only 15 runs. 

Suryakumar Yadav also continued his horrific run, scoring just 15 off 6 balls, while Naman Dhir was dismissed for a duck.

The biggest setback for Mumbai came with the sluggish knock from Tilak Varma, who managed 20 off 32 deliveries before falling to Kartik Tyagi. 

His slow innings put additional pressure on the middle order and dragged Mumbai’s run rate below seven an over. In a huge blow, MI lost captain Hardik Pandya on 26 as MI fell to 95/6 in 15.2 overs.

KKR have high stakes on the line

Meanwhile, the Mumbai Indians have nothing to lose from this game, as they are already eliminated from the IPL 2026 playoff race. However, KKR still have an outside chance.

If they win today, Kolkata will sit with 13 points with one more game left to go. However, to qualify for the playoffs, winning alone won't be enough. Apart from winning their last game against DC, KKR also need multiple results to go their way.

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At 15 points, IPL playoff qualification is extremely difficult. But cricket is full of uncertainties. Hence, KKR will back their chances for now and try to win.

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