India, April 6 -- Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane came under severe criticism for opting to bat first in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match against the Punjab Kings at the Eden Gardens on Monday. The call did not make sense to several pundits, including Anil Kumble and Ravichandran Ashwin. For starters, there was rain predicted for the contest between the two teams, and hence, traditional wisdom would have said that the captain who won the toss should have bowled first, as the team would have had the benefit of knowing the target. Secondly, Eden Gardens has traditionally been a hard ground to defend totals on, and hence, the call to bat first further raised a few eyebrows.

KKR were also without their spin duo o...