Kolkata Knight Riders nearly let a familiar wobble creep in again, but this time Rinku Singh was there to steady the chase. The three-time champions finally snapped their run of struggles in IPL 2026, earning a four-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens. The result lifted KKR to ninth place on the points table, placing them ahead of Mumbai Indians despite having played two extra matches.<\/p>\n
Match summary and key numbers<\/strong><\/p>\n Rajasthan Royals posted 155\/9 after 20 overs. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi top-scored with 46 off 28, while Varun Chakaravarthy finished with 3-14, Kartik Tyagi 3-22 and Sunil Narine 2-26. In reply, Kolkata chased down the target with 161\/6 in 19.4 overs. Rinku Singh struck an unbeaten 53 off 34 and Anukul Roy contributed 29 not out off 16. For RR, Ravindra Jadeja returned 2-8 and Yash Raj Punja 1-25 as KKR completed the job by four wickets.<\/p>\n How Rinku turned the chase<\/strong><\/p>\n Rinku began the pursuit with a quiet presence before accelerating when it mattered. He was on eight off the same number of balls when he lifted a Ravindra Jadeja delivery over the infield in the 11th over of KKR\u2019s chase. Nandre Burger was coming in from short third but failed to hold on, and that dropped chance became extremely expensive. With the Royals applying pressure through the middle overs, KKR still had to stay sharp, needing 59 runs from the final five overs to reach 156.<\/p>\n Rinku took control in that phase, slog-sweeping Ravi Bishnoi over mid-wicket and then picking up boundaries off Jofra Archer. Anukul Roy joined the momentum, striking useful blows as the equation tightened\u2014KKR required nine runs off the last over. Brijesh Sharma was brought back for the final set, but his line wasn\u2019t good enough. Rinku struck two fours to level the scores, before hooking a short delivery over the wicket-keeper\u2019s head to reach his fifty and effectively seal KKR\u2019s first win.<\/p>\n Why RR ended on 155\/9<\/strong><\/p>\n RR\u2019s total carried the weight of a recent KKR campaign that had been difficult to watch, yet the innings had flashes of promise before the spinners tightened the screws. With the match moving through the middle overs, Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine combined to put the Royals under sustained pressure. At 95\/1 by the halfway mark, Rajasthan looked set for something above 180. However, on a surface that offered turn, Chakaravarthy stepped up and built on the rhythm he had shown earlier against GT.<\/p>\n Chakaravarthy struck first by dismissing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, getting him to hit towards the longer leg-side boundary. He then kept the momentum going by beating Dhruv Jurel with the reverse-hit and having him stumped. Narine followed by taking Yashasvi Jaiswal at cover as the scoring rate slowed\u2014RR went 28 deliveries without finding a boundary. Chakaravarthy continued to extract turn and pace, knocking over Riyan Parag through the stumps, before Narine finished the spell by removing Donovan Ferreira, who chipped the ball back in a tame manner. Together, the two spinners produced 5\/40 from eight overs, and after that RR never regained control of the run rate.<\/p>\n Sooryavanshi\u2019s innings and the \u201cwonderkid\u201d story<\/strong><\/p>\n Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal made a relatively calm start, both reaching their marks with a tip-and-run rather than taking unnecessary risks. That measured approach also reflected how RR had left KKR reeling in a prior game, where early damage had been done. Sooryavanshi, however, still found a way to race to 24 off 12 while sticking to his natural shot-making, underlining his ability to accelerate without abandoning technique.<\/p>\n During the final Powerplay over, both openers attacked Cameron Green. Green was struck for 22 runs and bowled four wides as RR set up a platform. Sooryavanshi continued to respect the good deliveries and didn\u2019t appear rattled after being beaten on a couple of occasions by Narine. Even so, the innings didn\u2019t quite match his usual explosiveness. He looked intent on lasting for longer, but some of his attacking strokes didn\u2019t quite carry the timing he would have wanted. In the end, he became the first wicket to fall, departing for 46, and from there the Royals\u2019 batting momentum unraveled.<\/p>\n KKR\u2019s bowling, RR\u2019s early breakthroughs, and the thriller setup<\/strong><\/p>\n Rajasthan\u2019s bowling provided early sparks as Jofra Archer struck with a first-ball wicket for the third time this season, removing Tim Seifert. Ajinkya Rahane then added to RR\u2019s pressure with a second straight duck, cutting a short and wide ball straight to the keeper. Cameron Green tried to counter-attack, but the pressure was maintained when Parag brought Ravi Bishnoi into the attack, and Bishnoi struck by dismissing Green.<\/p>\n Dhruv Jurel\u2019s athletic fielding also mattered at crucial moments, as he collected the ball well down the leg-side and fired a throw onto the stumps. Ravindra Jadeja picked up a couple of wickets, while Yash Raj Punja\u2014named as an Impact Substitute\u2014finished with figures of 1-25. Even with KKR under spin pressure again, the contest could have tilted differently had Burger held on to Rinku\u2019s chance earlier. Instead, the Knight Riders found a path through the final overs and ensured RR suffered their second successive defeat.<\/p>\n What happens next for both sides<\/strong><\/p>\n After this result, both teams turn their attention to Lucknow, where they will face the Super Giants. Rajasthan Royals play first on Wednesday, April 22, while Kolkata Knight Riders follow on Sunday, April 26, after a week\u2019s break.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kolkata Knight Riders nearly let a familiar wobble creep in again, but this time Rinku Singh was there to steady the chase. The three-time champions…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3809,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Rinku Singh Steadies KKR Chase in IPL 2026 vs RR","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Rinku Singh\u2019s composed chase powers KKR to a four-wicket win over RR in IPL 2026, snapping a slump and lifting them up the table at Eden Gardens.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n