Varun Chakaravarthy and Rinku Singh’s impressive performances powers KKR to first victory over RR in IPL 2026.
Published: April 19, 2026 8:15 PM IST
The moment has arrived for the Kolkata Knight Riders’ team and fans’ as the franchise won their first match in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, by defeating Rajasthan Royals by 6 wickets at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Kolkata Knight Riders playing XI: Ajinkya Rahane(c), Tim Seifert(w), Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy
Rajasthan Royals playing XI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi
Varun Chakaravarthy’s magic spell troubles Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals had won the toss and decided to bat first. The star opening pair Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gave a good start to RR’s innings by smashing some brilliant shots in control and saving their respective wickets as well. Both the batters took the KKR bowling attack in charge and helped Rajasthan Royals to win the contest of powerplay against KKR. But, after the powerplay, KKR made a comeback as Rajasthan Royals started losing crucial wickets. Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine played a key role for KKR as they removed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi from the strike.
However, Varun Chakaravarthy didn’t stop as he clinched two more wickets from Dhruv Jurel and captain Riyan Parag. Varun Chakaravarthy bowled his four overs and conceded three wickets. Star pacer Kartik Tyagi also put a good amount of pressure on Rajasthan Royals by taking three wickets in tough times. Not only this, experienced player, Sunil Narine showcased his magic by sending Yashasvi Jaiswal and Donovan Ferreira into the pavilion. KKR’s brilliant bowling performance helped them to stop RR at 155 runs for the loss of 9 wickets.
Speaking about Kolkata Knight Riders’ batting performance, they faced a major setback at the beginning of the innings as star RR pacer Jofra Archer removed Tim Seifert on the first delivery of the innings. Meanwhile, captain Ajinkya Rahane also followed him as he departed for a duck. Overseas batters Cameron Green and Rovman Powell averaged the hopes of KKR fans with an average batting performance. Green scored 27 runs off 13 balls, including four fours and one six, but, RR wicketkeeper, Dhruv Jurel, showcased an impressive awareness in the field by stumping Cameron Green.
Rinku Singh and Anukul Roy guides KKR to first win in IPL 2026
However, KKR star players Rinku Singh and Anukul Roy gave a major shock to the Rajasthan Royals team by showcasing some brilliant boundaries in the crucial time. Not only this, the way they handled players like Jofra Archer and Ravi Bishnoi was unbelievable. Anukul Roy played some big shots in the end and showed faith to his partner Rinku Singh. Roy smashed 29 runs off 16 balls, including one four and two sixes. Meanwhile, Rinku Singh played a finishing short by completing his half-century in IPL 2026. Rinku scored 53 runs off 34 balls, including five fours and two sixes. Their brilliant effort helped their side to register their first victory in the tournament.
Rajasthan Royals’ bowlers also tried well to maintain their winning mindset and enjoyable performance in the tournament. Star all-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja was the key player for them by clinching two wickets. Meanwhile, players like Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Ravi Bishnoi and debutant Yash Raj Punja took one wicket each, but lost their second consecutive match in the tournament.
