The race for the top four in IPL 2026 has turned into a tense affair with just the final match of the league stage remaining, and Kolkata Knight Riders have found themselves right in the thick of the conversation. The three-time champions, after a difficult start to the campaign, have surged under Ajinkya Rahane and are now positioned with momentum as the season nears its end.
KKR’s turnaround has been striking: they have won six of their last seven matches. Their most recent success came on May 20 at Eden Gardens, where they beat Mumbai Indians in front of their home crowd. That win has taken the franchise to sixth place in the standings with 13 points, and Rahane’s side will be keen to build on that momentum and craft a late-season comeback that keeps their qualification hopes alive.
Yet even in a match that ultimately slipped into KKR’s control, there was still plenty to discuss—this time not about team selection or workload, but about a concussion substitute and how the incident was handled under league playing conditions.
Concussion substitute sparks debate during MI innings
- The key moment arrived in the 11th over of Mumbai Indians’ innings, when Tilak Varma top-edged a ball from KKR mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy.
- As the ball hung in the air, both Chakaravarthy and wicketkeeper Angkrish Raghuvanshi moved forward to chase the opportunity.
- What looked set to become a routine chance turned uncomfortable when Tilak survived a difficult situation after a coming together between Chakaravarthy and Raghuvanshi.
- Raghuvanshi then injured his hand and had to leave the field briefly to receive treatment in the KKR dugout.
- KKR initially indicated Ramandeep Singh as the replacement via a post, but later confirmed the use of uncapped wicketkeeper Tejasvi Singh Dahiya as the like-for-like substitute under the IPL’s concussion replacement framework.
- Dahiya, who made his debut, did not have a major impact with the bat, contributing just 11 runs off 12 deliveries during KKR’s chase.
After that, KKR carried the momentum into the chase, completing their 148-run target with four wickets in hand and seven balls remaining.
Injury concern: substitute use questioned
Although the chase ended comfortably and Mumbai Indians were restricted to 147, the decision to bring in a concussion substitute still drew questions. The underlying issue raised by fans and observers was that the injury did not appear to involve the head or neck, which is typically central to the eligibility criteria for such replacements under the competition’s rules.
Under the regulations, concussion substitutes can only be used when a player suffers a confirmed or suspected injury to the head or neck. With that in mind, Angkrish Raghuvanshi is now expected to miss KKR’s crucial final group-stage fixture against Delhi Capitals due to the mandatory seven-day stand-down period.
What Raghuvanshi’s absence could mean for KKR
Raghuvanshi is a No. 3 batter for KKR and has been a stabilising presence in their batting lineup. His role has gone beyond just occupying the crease—he has also been able to anchor an innings early and then accelerate as the match situation demands.
So far in the season, he has established himself as a key performer, amassing 422 runs across 12 innings, including five half-centuries. KKR will now hope they can manage without their star wicketkeeper-batter for the do-or-die clash as they push to end the league phase with a win and keep their qualification hopes firmly in play.
