'Rahane will be taking responsibility. Time will tell how...': Doull's brutal message to KKR after morale-beating defeat

Doull feels that KKR should have been disappointed with themselves for not getting the job done, and the skipper should take responsibility for it.

Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a morale-crushing defeat against Punjab Kings, failing to chase the 112-run target. The defending champions looked off-colours in the batting department, crumbling against Yuzvendra Chahal's brilliant spell and being bundled out for just 95. It was a game where KKR should have won comfortably and boosted their NRR, but instead, they suffered a hammering, which could dent their confidence going forward.

Ajinkya Rahane also admitted that their batters were wreckless in chase against PBKS. (AFP)

KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane also admitted that it was an easy chase, but the batters were too reckless with their approach, which cost them two crucial points. With half of their matches league stage matches, KKR will now be under pressure to get over the defeat and produce a stronger title defence in the second half to qualify for the playoffs.

Former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull feels that KKR should have been disappointed with themselves for not getting the job done, and the skipper should take responsibility for it.

"Sometimes it's such a bad performance that it might be easier to shrug it off, but they should have won. I mean they will know; they'll be sitting in that dressing room now knowing that they should have got the job done, and Rahane will be taking a little bit of that responsibility as the skipper," Doull said on Cricbuzz.

However, Doull also praised Rahane's character and said he wouldn't hide his mistakes. He pointed out that he should have taken a review when he was given out, as it could have saved him.

"I'm sure he will, he's that sort of character; he's not the one who wants to shy away from mistakes or hide behind anything. He's a really upstanding character. I think he'll be shouldering a bit of that responsibility today, not only for getting out the way he did, but for not reviewing it. The responsibility was on him and Raghuvanshi after that. They lost 2 for 7, and they were going along. They had a nice partnership going, and it just sort of fell away. From there on, and so they'll be feeling it.

“KKR have managed to bounce back every time”

The defending champions have shown strong character in the past, and Doull expected the same from them this time despite a loss that can hurt their morale.

"They've managed to bounce back every time after a loss. So they'll have that in the back of their minds when they move forward to the next one. But those are the sort of games that can really hurt you morally and just deflate you completely. So, the time will tell, how deflating it is when it comes to the next game," he concluded.