Kolkata Knight Riders are on the brink of being eliminated from the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) playoffs race and desperately need to win all their remaining league fixtures in order to even fancy a chance of making it to the top four. After winning four consecutive games, KKR hammered a nail into their own foot by losing their previous game to RCB. Now, KKR will face a determined GT, who are already almost through to the playoffs with 16 points to their name. The question that arises here is, will KKR make any changes to their playing XI or will Ajinkya Rahane back his current crop of players to hand GT an upset.
Predicted KKR playing XI vs GT
Ajinkya Rahane (C), Finn Allen, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Karthik Tyagi, Varun Chakravarthy
Impact player: Matheesha Pathirana
KKR’s batting unit were at their best while playing against RCB. In fact, their batting order has fared well so far in IPL 2026, although they have been sub-par. Captain Rahane has been the biggest disappointment, having scored just 237 runs from 11 matches at an average of 23.70. Since he is the leader, there is no chance of the team even thinking to replace him. His opening partner, Allen, has been poor in IPL 2026, but scored a scintillating century against DC which will allow the team to prefer him over fellow New Zealand teammate Tim Seifert.
KKR’s middle-order is sorted, given that Raghuvanshi, Green and Rinku have done well in the current season. But, it is their bowling which is a point of concern. Already facing multiple setbacks via injuries to Harshit Rana and Akash Deep, KKR boast of an inexperiended pace line-up. While Karthik Tyagi has stepped up and delivered (16 wickets from 11 matches at an economy rate of 8.89), the rest of the bowlers, including the experienced Sunil Narine have failed to fire. This is a woe that KKR need to resolve desperately.
Varun Chakravarthy is also expected to return to KKR’s playing XI after missing the previous game. The Tamil Nadu spinner has been dealing with injuries, which include multiple fractures to his left-hand. The return of VC will boost the team’s spin unit, and there is no one more familiar with the surface at the Eden Gardens than him, having played for the franchise so long.
Another expected return is that of Matheesha Pathirana. The Sri Lankan pacer joined the KKR squad earlier in April after getting a fitness clearance from the SLC but is yet to feature in a game. It is perhaps the best time for KKR to use Pathirana, even if it is as an impact player, for they can bolster their inexperienced pace line-up. Besides, Arora hasn’t been good in this season.
