Kolkata Knight Riders finally broke their season’s winless spell in dramatic fashion at Eden Gardens on Sunday, riding on vice-captain Rinku Singh’s calm, unbeaten 53 to beat Rajasthan Royals by four wickets with two balls remaining. Chasing 156, KKR had their backs against the wall at 85/6 in the 14th over, but Rinku and Anukul Roy steadied the chase after a crucial dropped chance and stitched a match-winning 76-run partnership for the seventh wicket. The success took KKR to ninth place in the 10-team standings.
KKR’s bowling sets the tone before Rinku and Roy finish
Rajasthan managed 155/9 in their innings, with KKR’s bowlers controlling key phases and creating pressure at the right moments. Wily Varun Chakravarthy delivered a standout spell of 3/14, combining sharply with Sunil Narine, who struck for 2/26 as KKR reclaimed their spin grip on the Eden Gardens surface. At the death, Kartik Tyagi (3/22) added the finishing touches with vital wickets, leaving RR short of what they would have wanted in a chase of this size.
KKR had done “half the job” by restricting Rajasthan to an under-par total, and the onus was then on their batting unit to close it out after a season marked by inconsistency. What followed, though, was another reminder of the fragility that has haunted the side at different points this campaign.
Chase timeline: from trouble to turnaround
- KKR began the chase but slipped to 85/6 in 13.3 overs, needing 69 runs from the final six overs as RR’s bowlers tightened their lines.
- Rinku Singh and Anukul Roy appeared to be the last established pair as the required rate mounted and KKR looked set for another collapse.
- A turning point arrived when Rinku was dropped on 8 by Nandre Burger—an error that proved decisive.
- After the reprieve, Rinku changed gears and Roy supported with composure, with the duo building a 76-run seventh-wicket stand off 37 balls to put KKR back in front.
- Rinku struck a slog-sweep six off Ravi Bishnoi in the 16th over to swing momentum again, and Roy replied with a six in an over that brought in 19 runs.
- With pressure still on, Rinku picked two boundaries off Jofra Archer, and Roy struck a six in the penultimate over, leaving KKR needing only 11 in the final over.
- KKR held their nerve to reach the target with two balls to spare, sealing their first win of the IPL 2026 season.
Rinku’s finishing touch was complete: he ended unbeaten on 53 off 34 balls, striking five fours and two sixes. Roy matched the calm tempo, remaining not out on 29 off 16 balls with one four and two maximums. For Rajasthan, the margin of error felt costly—RR fell short by at least 30 runs, undone by Chakravarthy, Narine and Tyagi.
Rajasthan’s innings: early push, then spin control
RR had started perfectly while defending 155, with Archer and Burger immediately making their presence felt. The pace duo reduced KKR to 5/2 in just 1.2 overs, with Archer striking with the very first ball—sending Tim Seifert’s stumps back in response to a sharp incoming delivery. Rahane followed soon after, edging behind to depart for a duck.
Cameron Green, coming off an impressive 79 in the previous match, tried to restore momentum by hitting three consecutive boundaries and then a six, bringing KKR to 31/2 after four overs. However, the revival was short-lived: a smart spell from Bishnoi, supported by a moment of brilliance from wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, cut Green’s innings short at 27 (13 balls).
From there, Ravindra Jadeja tightened the game further with disciplined bowling and turn, removing Angkrish Raghuvanshi for 10 and Rovman Powell for 23 to leave KKR struggling at 70/5 in 10.1 overs. That set the stage for the middle overs to belong to KKR’s spin unit—where their control and pressure would ultimately shape the totals.
RR’s batting: power-play ease, then a collapse against spin
Earlier, Rajasthan had put runs on the board smoothly in the power play after opting to bat first, reaching 63 without loss. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane appeared cautious in his captaincy approach, delaying the introduction of spin as openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and the young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi kept the scoreboard ticking at more than 10 an over against a KKR pace attack.
Once the spinners were brought in, the anticipated contest—Sooryavanshi against KKR’s experienced spin duo—delivered. The 15-year-old struck Narine for a second-ball six, but Narine responded with five dot balls in his first over. Chakravarthy then dismissed Sooryavanshi with his fourth delivery, marking his milestone of 200 T20 wickets. Sooryavanshi’s slog sweep lacked sufficient power and was taken cleanly by Ramandeep Singh at deep midwicket.
That dismissal triggered a sudden downturn. After cruising near 10 runs per over at the halfway mark, RR’s rate dropped below eight as they slipped to 118/4 in 15 overs. They lost Sooryavanshi (46 off 28), Dhruv Jurel (5), Jaiswal (39 off 29) and Riyan Parag (12) in quick succession. Parag—described as a controversial choice for the captaincy role—has struggled so far and continued his difficult run.
The middle phase belonged entirely to KKR’s spin duo, who bowled in tandem and choked the scoring, setting up the under-par finish. In the end, KKR’s bowling restricted RR to 155/9, and Rinku and Roy ensured the chase didn’t slip away—granting the franchise a long-awaited release after six matches without a win.
For KKR, there was added significance: the victory came after Ajinkya Rahane registered a second successive duck in the match, while Rinku led from the front. The result also halted a jinx that had seen KKR lose from winning positions in recent games, with the turnaround coming after 22 days.
