Kolkata Knight Riders’ head coach Abhishek Nayar said he reckoned the team’s total of 192 for four against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their IPL 2026 clash in Raipur on Wednesday (May 13, 2026) was par for the course, despite the eventual result.

Riding on Virat Kohli’s first century of the season, RCB never looked in trouble and managed to chase the target down in the final over, in spite of a few late wickets.

“The pitch was good through and through. Anytime there is a bit of rain, you expect the ball to swing and seam. But I still felt we got enough runs on the board, because midway, when we had that discussion, we felt anywhere between 180 and 200 would be a good score,” Nayar said.

The former Mumbai cricketer said it was unfortunate that the team could not hold onto the chances they created against in-form players like Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal, which allowed the game to slip away.

This was KKR’s first loss after a run of four consecutive wins, which helped it maintain a slender chance to qualify for the playoffs. Nayar said the key to the squad’s improvement was to maintain a secure environment throughout the tournament.

“From the start of the season, one thing we decided was to be consistent in how we approach our processes. Making sure the environment is good is one of the hardest things to do in the IPL with all the noise and pressure. We wanted to curate an environment where the players felt safe, where they could go out and play regardless of the outcome,” he said.

As the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) most expensive overseas recruit ever at ₹25.2 crore, Australia’s Cameron Green had many more eyeballs fixed on his exploits for Kolkata Knight Riders this season.

A patchy start to the tournament, coupled with KKR’s streak of losses, meant Green was in the firing line, but the all-rounder from Perth — an imposing presence at 6’6” — has got better as the competition has progressed.

The 26-year-old has contributed 232 runs and four wickets in 10 matches for the three-time champion. While he would have certainly liked to make more of an impact, he hasn’t felt any additional pressure because of his price tag.

“The support staff never put any pressure on me. They have been awesome to me since day one. I was never made to feel that there was any extra pressure compared to anyone else,” Green said after Knight Riders defeated Delhi Capitals on Friday (May 8, 2026).

“There’s always pressure on the international guys. You have to be performing at all times because the guys on the bench are also ready to go. But, no, I’ll probably have the support staff to thank for that.”

KKR’s hopes of reaching the playoffs appeared derailed when it went winless in its first six matches. Now, a run of four victories on the trot has given Ajinkya Rahane and Co. a fresh lease of life. Asked for his view on the resurgence, Green argued that the belief was always intact.

“I didn’t think the belief was ever gone. We’ve had a really good culture this whole tournament,” he opined.

Dwayne Bravo has had a recurring request from the young Kolkata Knight Riders bowlers in IPL 2026. It is to be taught the dipping slower ball that the free-spirited 42-year-old mastered during his playing days in the shortest format. Lungi Ngidi, who is part of the Delhi Capitals set-up, is a prominent beneficiary of learning the variation from the former West Indies all-rounder during their association with Chennai Super Kings.

“Especially since Lungi talked about it, everyone wants me to teach them that slower ball. Thanks, Lungi,” Bravo said amid a ripple of laughter at the pre-match interaction on Thursday (May 7, 2026).

As mentor of KKR, Bravo’s primary role in the coaching set-up is to work with the bowling group. In addition to helping develop newer skills with the ball, Bravo lays emphasis on the ability to read and understand game-situations.

“My strength was my ability to read and understand the game. That is what I try to coach more than anything else,” he explained. “The brain is the most important thing. And that’s what I try to teach the younger bowling group. Because if they are able to think, they will all be better bowlers.”

Asked about Varun Chakaravarthy’s return to form, Bravo said that a small break due to injury was needed for the spinner to refresh mentally.

“Varun just came from the T20 World Cup, which was also a very hectic tournament. The group was very supportive of him and a mental break was also very needed in a tournament like the IPL,” he said.

After spinners Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine set the tone for Kolkata Knight Riders’ seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, the 166-run chase was handled with calm authority.

Finn Allen’s blistering start meant KKR was well ahead, and from there, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and skipper Ajinkya Rahane stitched together a risk-free 84-run partnership to put the visitor on the brink of victory. Raghuvanshi, who raised a composed half-century – his third of the season – said that his focus remained in the moment rather than on the scoreboard.

“With the older ball, the pitch got a little tougher. It got slower, so the start that Ajinkya bhaiya and Finn gave us was very crucial. We got in front of the game in the PowerPlay and it got easier from there.”

Sunrisers Hyderabad, in quintessential fashion, began its IPL clash against Kolkata Knight Riders with an onslaught so ferocious it felt like the game might be over before it had properly begun. Boundaries flew, the scoreboard spiralled, and KKR was pushed to the brink as SRH went past the 100-run mark in a blink-and-you-miss-it 8.5 overs.

That chaos, stunning and without warning, gave way for a spectacular collapse, courtesy an adamant spin chokehold by Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine that eventually set up a seven-wicket victory for the visitors at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday.

ike a restored Swiss watch, Chennai Super Kings ticked, getting the timing right again at Chepauk as it clinched a second straight win, beating Kolkata Knight Riders by 32 runs in IPL 2026 here on Tuesday.

Defending 192 under lights, CSK applied the classic Chepauk spin-choke. KKR was made to work for every boundary, with the asking rate nudging up incrementally until the chase slipped out of reach.

Like a metronome finding its beat after a stutter, Noor Ahmad’s rhythm returned, and with it, the steady ticking of wickets. He struck twice in two balls — Ajinkya Rahane (28) miscuing a googly to hole out, and Cameron Green (nought) having his stumps rattled. Later, he dangled a carrot outside off, luring Rinku Singh (six) into a catch at long-on to finish with three for 21.

Until Saturday (April 11, 2026), Chennai Super Kings was like King Lear in the storm this IPL — once a Super King, reduced to battling, carrying only the memory of power. Like Lear, it seemed unsure of itself. Nowhere more so than at home, where it had lost six consecutive matches since last season.

But on Saturday (April 11), it was as if CSK had shaken itself awake. Like Odysseus reclaiming Ithaca, it reclaimed Chepauk — a home recognising its own again.

In a tournament as long as the Indian Premier League, a franchise’s opening fixture isn’t necessarily indicative of how the season will transpire. At this early stage, there is plenty of room for lessons to be gleaned, plans to be fine-tuned and combinations to be tweaked.

That said, a win to begin proceedings certainly settles the nerves and spreads positive vibes. Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians, which will meet at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Saturday afternoon, will attest after victories in their opening fixtures.

While DC overcame a jittery start to a chase of 142 to register a six-wicket win against Lucknow Super Giants, Hardik Pandya’s men never looked in strife in pursuit of 221 against Kolkata Knight Riders.

For the five-time champion, a leaner and fitter Rohit Sharma was in full flow against KKR, scoring 78 and stitching together an opening stand of 148 runs with Ryan Rickelton. With the 38-year-old’s involvement at the international level confined to the 50-over format, he was available for the entirety of MI’s pre-season preparations this time.

“He joined us on day one of our camp. We did a lot of simulations, we had quite a few practice matches that we played, so he was part of all that. The hand speed was pretty good,” said MI coach Mahela Jayawardene on Friday.

In marked contrast to MI’s opening pair, DC’s top-order appeared shaky at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. If Capitals still emerged unscathed, it was owing to Sameer Rizvi and Tristan Stubbs forging a fine alliance from 26 for four.

The surface for Saturday’s fixture is expected to be full of runs. Jayawardene sees it as par for the course in the early part of the campaign. “The wickets will get slower as the season progresses. You have to let that natural process happen and not worry too much about the first few games,” he said.

With similar backstories, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) would look to open their account in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 meeting at the Eden Gardens here on Thursday.

Both the teams’ batting has emerged stronger than their bowling. KKR and SRH lost their season openers, to Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru respectively, despite scoring 200-plus totals. Here, in their second outing, the main challenge for the sides would be to strike a balance between the two key departments.

KKR will be excited for its opening home engagement. The success of multiple batters, including captain Ajinkya Rahane, Finn Allen, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Rinku Singh, against MI should inspire confidence. An eye-catching contribution from its costliest import, Australian Cameron Green, will make the host happier.

The KKR bowlers, who recorded double digit economies against MI, need to be parsimonious on another small ground. As Green’s unavailability due to a niggle restricts Rahane’s options, the KKR skipper will hope that others, especially experienced spinners Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy, rise to the occasion.

SRH will rely on its awe-inspiring firepower in batting. Even though Ishan Kishan, Aniket Verma and Heinrich Klaasen made noticeable contributions against RCB, the tourists would like to see their destructive openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head live up to their billing.

Apart from David Payne, who took two wickets against RCB, SRH will expect its experienced Indian seamers Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat to be more effective. 

Nevertheless, SRH would struggle to find replacements for skipper Pat Cummins, who is travelling with the squad even without playing, and Englishman Brydon Carse.

Known for staging high-scoring duels, the Eden track, sporting a tinge of green following some rains in recent past, may please the run-hungry batters and eagerly-awaiting fans alike.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Abhishek Nayar on Wednesday expressed confidence that spinner Varun Chakaravarthy would bounce back in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Varun conceded a lot of runs in the T20 World Cup and in KKR’s IPL opener against Mumbai Indians (0/48 in four overs) at the Wankhede Stadium the other night.

However, Nayar solidly backed the spinner. “He has gone through a lot more than this. He has accomplished a lot over the past year, which has increased expectations…Statistically, he’s pretty much bowled the similar speeds that he always has.

“Hawkeye suggests he has bowled the same lengths, but sometimes players play you better,” Nayar said on the eve of KKR’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

“It (Wankhede) was a pitch that challenged all spinners…and Varun bowls (in) those phases where he’s always going to be challenged. As a franchise, as support staff, we back him. Teams are playing him well. Doesn’t mean he can’t come back. It just means that it’s another challenge in his life.

“At times you want to protect a bowler and bring him at a time where you feel he can be more effective. But the nature of the game is (such) that sometimes you want to put your best players in a position to perform. If he picks up wickets there, he’s a different bowler.”

Nayar said the support staff, including mentor D.J. Bravo and bowling coach Tim Southee, had been working with the less experienced bowlers in the side to bring out the best in them.