IPL 2026: Here's why RR can dominate KKR in Kolkata
What's the story
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Match 28 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The game will be played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on April 19. KKR's campaign has been disappointing, as they are the only team without a win this season (5 defeats, 1 NR). Meanwhile, RR have been consistent under Riyan Parag's captaincy, winning four of their five matches. Here we look at why RR are expected to dominate the upcoming game.
KKR
KKR's struggles across departments
KKR have issues in almost all departments, besides spin-bowling. It's KKR's pace unit that has particularly let them down this season. Though Sunil Narine has managed to restrict the run flow, he has lacked support. On top of this, most of their batters have not been among the runs. In their last game against Gujarat Titans, KKR batters hardly managed to score a run-a-ball in the final five overs.
RR
RR have been on a rolll
After winning their first four matches, RR lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last outing. However, the team should not be worried much. Their batting lineup, led by aggressive openers Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal, has been in explosive form. Owing to the same, their middle order has not been tested much. While pacers Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger have been sensational with the new ball, spinner Ravi Bishnoi has done well in the middle overs.
Line-ups
Here are the probable XIIs
KKR (Probable XII): Tim Seifert (wk), Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Anukul Roy, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakravarthy. RR (Probable XII): Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Ravi Bishnoi, Brijesh Sharma, Sandeep Sharma.