IPL 2026: KKR open account, beat RR at Eden Gardens
What's the story
Kolkata Knight Riders finally opened their account in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) by beating Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens. KKR, who lost their first five games, chased down 156 despite being down to 85/6 at one stage. The top order once again stumbled before Rinku Singh and Anukul Roy took over. KKR earlier bounced back as RR posted 155/9 (20 overs).
Start
KKR lose openers within eight balls
KKR were dealt a major blow on the chase's first ball, with Jofra Archer knocking over Tim Seifert. In the very next over, seamer Nandre Burger sent Ajinkya Rahane packing with a length delivery outside the off stump. The skipper attempted a cut but edged it to wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel. The hosts were two down within just eight balls.
Feats
Unforgettable records for Rahane
According to Cricbuzz, Rahane now has 12 ducks as an opener in the IPL, the most for a batter. Parthiv Patel is the only other opener to record over 10 ducks in the tournament. Rahane is also the second KKR skipper to record a duck in successive IPL innings after Gautam Gambhir (three in 2014). Notably, the Knight Riders won the 2014 IPL edition.
Collapse
KKR suffer middle-order collapse
Cameron Green, who scored a half-century in the last game, took KKR past 30 with some boundaries. However, Ravi Bishnoi dismissed him, with Jurel giving a stunning display of stumping. Angkrish Raghuvanshi also struggled with a 19-ball 10 and departed before 60. Rovman Powell inspired some hope with some big hits, but Ravindra Jadeja dismissed him. KKR slumped to 70/5 in 10.1 overs.
Heroics
Rinku defies odds
Ramandeep Singh also bit the dust as Yash Raj Punja took his maiden IPL wicket. With KKR requiring 69 runs off 36 balls, an out-of-form Rinku struggled to find boundaries. Rinku, who was at 13 off 14 balls, upped the ante by attacking Bishnoi and Archer in successive balls. With Anukul Roy, he brought the required run-rate down and got KKR home.
RR innings
How RR's innings panned out
Electing to bat, RR once again banked on a solid start from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. They added 81 runs before Varun Chakravarthy dismissed Sooryavanshi (46 off 28 balls). The wrist-spinner got Jurel in his next over, and Jaiswal also fell to Sunil Narine before 100. KKR made a strong comeback as Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer were the only other batters with double-figure scores.
Spell
Three wickets in an over for Tyagi
Mystery spinners Chakravarthy (3/14) and Narine (2/26) were sensational in the middle overs as the RR batting line-up collapsed. Kartik Tyagi, who conceded two fours in his first three balls of the game, later bowled with great control and choked the batters. Each of his three wickets came in the 19th over as the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Hetmyer, and Ravi Bishnoi fell to him.
Milestones
Milestones for Tyagi, Chakravarthy
Tyagi finished with brilliant figures of 3/22 across four overs - his maiden three-fer in the league. The pacer, who has represented two more IPL franchises in the past, has raced to 23 wickets across 27 matches at 40.52 (ER: 9.98). Chakravarthy, who had been out of touch, unleashed his best against RR. He completed 200 wickets in T20 cricket.
Information
KKR climb a spot
With their first win of the season, KKR have moved to ninth spot with a Net Run Rate of -0.879. One of their matches was washed out. Meanwhile, RR are third with four wins in six games.