Rachin Ravindra has stepped away from Kolkata Knight Riders partway through the IPL 2026 season, with the New Zealand batter returning to his home country to get ready for the national team’s next assignment—an upcoming Test tour of England. KKR confirmed the move on Friday, saying Ravindra left the squad so he could start his red-ball preparations ahead of New Zealand’s three-match Test series against England, which is set to begin on June 4.
In its official communication, the franchise said Ravindra had “returned home to begin his red-ball preparations for New Zealand’s upcoming Test tour to England.” Alongside the update, KKR shared a farewell clip on Instagram that captured Ravindra exchanging hugs and handshakes with teammates before his departure. The accompanying caption read: “Best wishes from the Knights as Rachin heads home to prepare for national duty.”
Ravindra’s IPL journey with KKR began at the IPL 2026 auction, where he was snapped up for his base price of Rs 2 crore after being released by Chennai Super Kings. Despite the attention around the New Zealand all-rounder, he did not feature in any match during this season. Instead, KKR chose Cameron Green to occupy the middle-order role, and Ravindra spent the entire campaign on the bench.
With Ravindra now gone, KKR will have to plan their remaining fixtures without the player they had brought in for the season. His exit also underscores that he leaves the franchise without making a single appearance in the purple and gold this term.
KKR’s season itself has been far from smooth. The three-time champions suffered a difficult opening stretch, managing no wins in their first six matches. They later steadied the ship with four consecutive victories, but their momentum took a hit in their most recent outing, when they lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Led by Ajinkya Rahane, KKR currently sit eighth in the points table, collecting nine points from 11 games. With their qualification hopes hanging by a thread, they need to win all of their remaining matches to keep their playoff chances alive, and net run rate is expected to become a deciding factor as the race tightens.
