The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are still breathing in IPL 2026. Barely. Their playoff hopes now depend heavily on what Rajasthan Royals do against Mumbai Indians in the afternoon game. If RR lose, KKR will enter into Eden Gardens at night with a genuine shot at sneaking into the Eliminator and face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
KKR may even need a massive net run-rate boost depending on Punjab Kings’ standing. A win by 77-plus runs while defending 200, or chasing 201 inside roughly 12 overs is what KKR would be aiming for.
No Angkrish Raghuvanshi; Tejasvi Dahiya to continue
KKR have been dealt a massive blow ahead of the DC clash. Angkrish Raghuvanshi, comfortably their most consistent batter this season, has been ruled out with concussion and a fractured finger on his left hand. The youngster scored 422 runs in just 12 innings, including five fifties, and often rescued KKR from shaky starts.
His absence means Tejasvi Dahiya is expected to retain his place in the XI as wicketkeeper. The youngster had an extensive keeping and batting session on match eve and looks set for another opportunity. Otherwise, KKR would’ve had to push Finn Allen behind the stumps to free up an extra batting slot.
Cameron Green suddenly becomes even more important in Raghuvanshi’s absence. The Australian endured a terrible start to IPL 2026, but since his 79 against Gujarat Titans, he has crossed 30 in five of his last eight innings. More importantly, he’s started contributing with the ball too. His spell of 2/23 against Mumbai Indians was an example of that.
KKR’s powerplay batting, however, remains a concern. They’ve been one of the slowest teams in the first six overs this season, scoring at just 8.8 runs per over.
What about Varun Chakaravarthy?
The biggest talking point around KKR remains Varun Chakaravarthy’s fitness. Abhishek Nayar confirmed that the mystery spinner has been playing through a fractured toe. And that’s only part of the story.
Varun first injured his hand while fielding against SRH on April 2, missed two games, then returned and played six matches with two fractures on his right hand before suffering a foot injury on May 8. Since then, he has already played two matches with a hairline fracture in his left foot.
Despite all that, Varun is expected to play against Delhi Capitals.
Varun Chakaravarthy’s injury timeline in IPL 2026
- Suffered a hand injury while fielding on April 2 vs SRH
- Misses 2 matches (April 6 vs PBKS, April 9 vs LSG)
- Plays the next 6 matches with two fractures on the right hand until injuring his foot on May 8
- Misses 1 match (May 13 vs RCB)
- Plays 2 matches with a hairline fracture in the left foot (May 16 vs GT, May 20 vs MI)
And KKR need him badly. His season has turned around after a poor start. In his first six games, he had an economy of 10.7 and strike rate of 39, both career-worst numbers in the IPL. But over his last six matches, those numbers have improved massively to 8.6 and 24 respectively.
On a potentially slow Eden surface, KKR could even save a couple of Varun’s overs for the death. He also matches up well against DC captain Axar Patel, who has struggled against both Varun and Sunil Narine over the years. Matheesha Pathirana, meanwhile, is still recovering from a hamstring injury and is likely to miss out again.
Predicted KKR Playing XI vs DC
| S. No. | Player | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ajinkya Rahane (c) | Top-order batter |
| 2 | Finn Allen✈️ | Opener |
| 3 | Cameron Green✈️ | Batting all-rounder (pace) |
| 4 | Rovman Powell✈️ | Middle-order batter |
| 5 | Manish Pandey | Middle-order batter |
| 6 | Rinku Singh | Finisher |
| 7 | Tejasvi Dahiya (wk) | Wicketkeeper |
| 8 | Sunil Narine✈️ | Spin all-rounder |
| 9 | Anukul Roy | Spin bowling all-rounder |
| 10 | Kartik Tyagi | Right-arm fast bowler |
| 11 | Varun Chakaravarthy | Mystery spinner |
| Impact Sub | Saurabh Dubey | Left-arm pacer |
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