'That's the real problem' - Irfan Pathan opines on major concern for KKR ahead of IPL 2026

Published - 21 Mar 2026, 18:40 IST | Updated - 21 Mar 2026, 18:41 IST

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has opined that the biggest problem for the Kolkata Knight Riders is their batters’ ability to play spin in the middle overs.

“The real problem for Kolkata, which I think they did not properly address in the auction, has been: playing spin well. Since Shreyas Iyer left, since Nitish Rana left, they have not bought the middle-order players who can handle spin in the auction. That has actually been the biggest issue, and this is why we saw last year’s results,” he said, speaking on his YouTube channel.

Kolkata Knight Riders entered the 2026 Mega Auction with INR 64.30 crores, the largest purse out of all teams. Despite walking out with high-profile buys like Cameron Green (INR 25.20 crore) and Matheesha Pathirana (INR 18 crore), Pathan feels that their new reinforcements such as West Indies' Rovman Powell do not provide them with the security of playing spin in the middle overs.

“Even this season, when I look at this team, I feel that problem will persist. Can you say that Rovman Powell is someone who plays spin really well? Sure, his numbers at number four for the West Indies are very good. There, you face spin. But when you come into this league, spin plays a different role. So, is he capable of that," he added

He further added that the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh and Ramandeep Singh all excel at scoring against fast bowlers, but they end up playing much slower against spin, which should have been the major issue addressed by KKR in the auction.

“Then Ajinkya Rahane is very good when batting at the top. But when he comes in the middle, the problem appears. His strike rate against spin drops significantly, almost around 100. Then can you say that Rinku Singh is a good hitter of spin or a good hitter of fast bowling? He is a good fast-bowling hitter. Ramandeep also comes in towards the end, ideally against fast bowling. If he can play well against spin, then that will definitely be an advantage. So actually, the issue Kolkata should have addressed, they did not. The spin problem, I think, will remain this year as well,” he concluded.

Kolkata Knight Riders will take on the Mumbai Indians in their opening game at the Wankhede Stadium on March 29.