Ahead of the anticipated contest between the Rajasthan Royals and the Kolkata Knight Riders, where the Knight Riders return to their home ground of Kolkata, at the Eden Gardens. Six games into the season, the Knight Riders were without a single win in the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League.
The Rajasthan Royals were coming off a promising start in the IPL 2026 season, as they had managed to remain undefeated in their first four games, with their opening batters firing with the bat. However, they faced their first bump in the last game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad when they failed to chase the target and struggled within the powerplay.
However, the Kolkata Knight Riders came into their home, and their bowlers handed them a promising start to the match as they restricted the mighty batting lineup to a score of 155 in their 20 overs; however, the batting innings ended with much drama, leading to a maiden win for KKR in IPL 2026. They have now risen to the 9th position with three points from a win and a draw in 7 matches.
The Kolkata Knight Riders bowled first against one of the strongest batting lineups in the competition, comprising an in-form Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. KKR have struggled with their bowling in the powerplay.
Vaibhav had a slow start in this game, with Yashasvi struggling early; however, they added 81 runs for the first wicket, and the Royals had a strong start. However, Varun Chakravarthy returned to dismiss Sooryavanshi in his first over. After that, KKR did not look back.
He picked three crucial wickets while Sunil Narine also picked two from the other end, and the nuts were tightened on the scoring rate. With an economical spell from Kartik Tyagi, who also picked three wickets, RR could manage only 155 runs in their innings.
Rinku Singh reaches first IPL half-century after 3 years; Anukul Roy shows character in nervy chase
Kolkata had the best chance to win their first game in the competition, as they were chasing just 156 runs at their home venue. However, Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger handed them early breakthroughs, dismissing the two openers.
Cameron Green made some use of the power play but was deceived by a trick from Ravi Bishnoi and some brilliance from Dhruv Jurel. They kept struggling until the midway stage and were six down with nearly 71 runs needed to win the match.
Rinku Singh contributed vastly alongside Anukul Roy, and they added 76 for the seventh wicket, leading KKR to their first victory of the season. Rinku scored his first half-century since 2023 in the IPL. Anukul's hand would also remain one of the finest knocks in this chase.
This victory will give us confidence- Ajinkya Rahane
KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane looked relieved after a win against the Rajasthan Royals, not only because this was the first win for them in the season but also because the players had finally shown an amazing display of character on the field.
"Really happy to be here. Feels really good. There were a lot of emotions. I am really happy for Rinku, Anukul Roy and Varun. Really happy with how both of them batted in that partnership. I like to have one-on-one conversations. It's about reading the situations well. This victory will give us confidence. Batting-wise, there's still room for improvement," said Ajinkya Rahane, the skipper.
Rahane then went on to praise the effort from young paceman Kartik Tyagi, "Fantastic, he's been clear about his ability. When you have a guy like that, he's still young; he's been amazing. Very happy to see him getting that confidence. The pace at which he's bowling is amazing. There's a lot to learn from every game. That's where the cricketing awareness comes."
Ajinkya Rahane further added, "Sometimes I feel strike-rate is over-rated. Take the game deep and we saw what happened today. This was a great escape for us. We need to reflect and learn. As a team, we have to come together and have that clear communication."
"The atmosphere in the dressing room has been amazing. The fans have been fantastic, this victory belongs to them. Very positive, you get that positive vibe," he concluded.
ALSO READ: IPL Points Table 2026: Updated Standings, Orange Cap, Purple Cap After KKR vs RR Match 28
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