Ajinkya Rahane has addressed the growing conversation around Cameron Green's bowling load, confirming Kolkata Knight Riders did not need Cricket Australia's sign-off to leave the $4 million all-rounder out of the bowling attack in their IPL 2026 clash with Gujarat Titans.
Green had been expected to share the new ball or bowl middle-overs for KKR after his batting form lifted with a maiden IPL fifty earlier in the tournament. Instead, the Australian did not send down a single delivery against Gujarat, a choice that sparked speculation about whether a workload restriction had been imposed from afar.
Rahane, back in the KKR captaincy role, pushed back on the idea that the call had come from anywhere other than the Kolkata dressing room. Cricket Australia had not been consulted about the day's bowling plans, he said, with the management group comfortable using Green purely as a top-order batter for that fixture.
The context matters. Green is rebuilding bowling loads following back issues that sidelined him from a portion of the Australian international calendar, and any indications of a quiet overs spell tend to be read as cautionary management. Rahane's comments, however, framed the call as tactical rather than medical.
Kolkata's approach against Gujarat leaned heavily on spin through the middle overs, with the surface slowing down as the innings wore on and the captain preferring to match up left-arm spin to Gujarat's right-hand heavy top order. That left Green in a floater role with the bat but without clear overs to bowl.
There is also a broader squad management angle. KKR has been working through the balance between trusting Green as a finisher with the ball against well-set batters and protecting his body as the season lengthens. After the Australian's form lift with the bat, the franchise is wary of compromising that by overloading him with overs in conditions that do not particularly suit his natural length.
For Green, the non-bowling outing is unlikely to derail his IPL campaign. He remains one of the more valuable overseas picks and his batting role is now more clearly defined. But the conversation around his workload — and who is ultimately making the calls on it — is one that will continue as the tournament heads into its business end.
KKR return to action later in the week, with Rahane indicating that Green's role with the ball will be assessed match by match. Gujarat, meanwhile, push on with a Cameron Green they were happy to see run in with the bat but may have preferred to have face with the ball.