‘Sign of a great leader’ – Eoin Morgan praises Ajinkya Rahane’s leadership skills after KKR’s massive win over SRH

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 80 runs to win their second game in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. Former England and KKR skipper Eoin Morgan praised Ajinkya Rahane for the way he led the side against SRH on Thursday night. Rahane scored 38 with the bat and also took an amazing catch to dismiss Ishan Kishan for two runs with the bat. 

Speaking on Jio Hotstar, Morgan said, “Rahane was excellent. The ability to remove emotions from on-field decisions is a sign of a great leader, and Rahane did just that tonight. As a captain, you look for ways to press your advantage, and after taking early wickets, he did exactly that. Rahane’s bowling changes were spot on and played a key role in shaping the outcome of the game.”

It was a key win for KKR, which saw them garner their second win of the IPL 2025 season. It was also the fourth successive win for Kolkata against Pat Cummins’ side. Hyderabad, on the other hand, is now bottom of the table with two points from four games, ahead of their next game versus Gujarat Titans. 

Eoin Morgan thrilled with KKR’s win against SRH 

Hyderabad put KKR into bat after winning the toss and saw the home team score 200 on the board. Venkatesh Iyer’s 60 and Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s 50 saw the team reach the huge total. With the ball, Varun Chakravarthy and Vaibhav Arora did the damage as SRH were bowled out for just 120 on the board. 

Speaking on Jio Hotstar, Morgan said, “KKR absolutely blew SRH away, and for me, that’s a great sign of character. When you suffer a heavy defeat, especially away from home, bouncing back is never easy. Varun Chakravarthy summed it up well, there was no blame game, just belief in their ability”

The former England skipper also said, “Rahane’s captaincy stood out. He managed his bowling options smartly— holding back Andre Russell, not using Moeen Ali or Venkatesh Iyer, and going straight for the kill. That’s exactly the kind of approach you expect from a team that had its back against the wall,”