Ahead of the anticipated contest between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders, where the Knight Riders return to their home ground of Kolkata, at Eden Gardens. Six games into the season, the Knight Riders were left without a single victory in the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League.

Rajasthan Royals were off to a promising start in the IPL 2026 season as they managed to remain unbeaten in their first four games, with their opening batsmen firing with the bat. However, they faced their first hurdle in the last match against Sunrisers Hyderabad when they failed to chase down the target and struggled in the powerplay.

However, Kolkata Knight Riders came home and their bowlers gave them a promising start to the match as they restricted the powerful batting line-up to a score of 155 in their 20 overs; However, the batting innings ended with a lot of drama, leading KKR to their first win in IPL 2026. They have now moved up to 9th position with three points from one win and one draw in 7 matches.

Varun Chakravarthy picks 200 wickets in T20; RR restricted after good start

Kolkata Knight Riders bowled first against one of the strongest batting line-ups in the competition, comprising Yashasvi Jaiswal and in-form Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. KKR have struggled with their bowling in the powerplay.

Vaibhav got off to a slow start in this game, with Yashasvi struggling at first; However, they added 81 runs for the first wicket and the Royals were off to a good start. However, Varun Chakravarthy again dismissed Sooryavanshi in his first over. After that, KKR did not look back.

He picked three crucial wickets, while Sunil Narine also picked two at the other end, and the screws were tightened on the scoring rate. With an economical spell from Kartik Tyagi, who also picked three wickets, RR could only manage 155 runs in their innings.

Rinku Singh reaches first IPL half-century after 3 years; Anukul Roy shows character in nervous chase

Kolkata had the best chance of winning their first game in the competition as they were only chasing 156 runs at their home venue. However, Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger gave them early leads, ruling out the top two.

Cameron Green made some use of the powerplay but was fooled by a trick from Ravi Bishnoi and some brilliance from Dhruv Jurel. They continued to fight till the halfway mark and were six down with almost 71 runs needed to win the match.

Rinku Singh contributed immensely along with Anukul Roy, and they added 76 for the seventh wicket, leading KKR to their first win of the season. Rinku scored his first half-century since 2023 in the IPL. Anukul’s handball would also remain one of the best hits in this chase.

This victory will give us confidence- Ajinkya Rahane

KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane looked relieved after a win against Rajasthan Royals, not only because it was the first win for them in the season but also because the players had finally shown an incredible display of character on the field.

“Actually happy to be here. It feels very good. There were many emotions. I am very happy for Rinku, Anukul Roy and Varun. Really happy with how they both batted in that partnership. I like having one-on-one conversations. It’s about reading situations well. This victory will give us confidence. As for batting, there is still room for improvement,” said Ajinkya Rahane, the captain.

Rahane then praised the effort of young pacer Kartik Tyagi: “Fantastic, he has been clear about his ability. When you have a guy like that, he is still young; he has been incredible. I am very happy to see him gain that confidence. The pace at which he bowls is incredible. There is a lot to learn from every game. That is where cricket awareness comes from.”

Ajinkya Rahane further added, “Sometimes I feel that goal percentage is overrated. If we dig deeper into the game, we saw what happened today. This was a big escape for us. We need to reflect and learn. As a team, we have to come together and have clear communication.”

“The atmosphere in the locker room has been incredible. The fans have been fantastic, this victory is theirs. Very positive, you feel that positive vibe,” he concluded.

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