KOLKATA : The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) finally ended their long-awaited winless streak this season with a thrilling 4-wicket victory (with 2 balls remaining) over the Rajasthan Royals (RR), thanks to a controlled unbeaten knock by Rinku Singh and a magnificent spin duo performance at Eden Gardens in the 28th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season.
The match began with RR won the toss and elected to bat first. Young stars Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal looked well-set for a big total, taking the score to 81/0 in 8.3 overs. However, the introduction of spin broke the partnership and shifted the momentum towards KKR. The veteran spin duo of KKR, Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine, completely took charge and demolished the middle order. Varun Chakravarthy produced a masterclass bowling performance with spectacular figures of 3 wickets in 4 overs, conceding just 14 runs, including the dismissals of Vaibhav Suryavanshi (46 off 28 balls), Dhruv Jurel (5 off 7 balls), and Riyan Parag (12 off 14 balls). Meanwhile, Sunil Narine picked up 2 wickets in his 4 overs, giving away 26 runs, dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal (39 off 29 balls) and Donovan Ferreira (7 off 7 balls). With the collapse of the middle order, RR’s score fell to 124/5 in 16 overs. In the slog overs, the run rate improved slightly before Kartik Tyagi delivered a fantastic 19th over, taking 3 wickets, including Ravindra Jadeja, Shimron Hetmyer, and Ravi Bishnoi. On the last ball of the innings, Jofra Archer was run out, and RR ended their innings at 155/9 in 20 overs.
The second innings started with quick wickets falling for KKR due to RR’s strong bowling attack. On the very first ball, Jofra Archer dismissed Tim Seifert for a golden duck. In the next over, captain Ajinkya Rahane also got out for 0, dismissed by Nandre Burger. Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Cameron Green tried to stabilize the chase. Green played a quick and impressive innings, scoring 27 off 13 balls before being brilliantly stumped by Dhruv Jurel off the bowling of Ravi Bishnoi. Raghuvanshi struggled to score and was dismissed LBW by Ravindra Jadeja for 10 off 19 balls. Rovman Powell attempted some big shots but was also dismissed by Jadeja. Under huge pressure, KKR were reduced to 70/5 in the 11th over, needing 86 runs from the last 9 overs. At this crucial moment, Rinku Singh and Anukul Roy stepped in. Nandre Burger dropped a crucial catch of Rinku, which proved costly. The pair then built a strong and composed partnership, stitching together a match-winning stand of 76 runs off just 37 balls. Vice-captain Rinku Singh played an outstanding innings like a true finisher, handling the pressure brilliantly and accelerating at the perfect time. Alongside him, Anukul Roy played a vital role in rotating the strike and contributing crucial runs, remaining unbeaten on 29 off 16 balls. In the final over, the match became extremely tense, with 9 runs needed off 6 balls. With Rinku on strike, he hit two consecutive boundaries in the first two balls. With just 1 run needed off 4 balls, Rinku finished the match in style with a six, helping KKR break their six-match winless streak. He remained unbeaten on 53 off 34 balls, marking his first half-century of the season.
RR, on the other hand, suffered their second consecutive loss, raising concerns about their middle-order collapse. KKR secured their first two points and moved to ninth position on the table. KKR will face Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 26, while RR will also take on LSG in their next match on April 22.
