Kolkata Knight Riders are set to take on Gujarat Titans in their next IPL 2026 match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday.
Published: May 15, 2026 4:55 PM IST
KKR vs GT IPL 2026: Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan co-owned Kolkata Knight Riders are going through a horror run in the IPL 2026 season. After their loss to defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the last match in Raipur earlier this week, KKR are almost out of the race of qualifying for the Playoffs stages for the second year in succession.
KKR are now getting ready to play for pride as they take on second-placed Gujarat Titans in their next match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday. There was, however, some bad news for the three-time former winners as New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra has decided to leave the IPL 2026 season early to prepare for the Test series against Ben Stokes-led England.
Also Read | Good news for Dhoni’s CSK and Kohli’s RCB in middle of IPL 2026, BCCI have announced…
The KKR team informed the media that Ravindra had returned home to New Zealand to prepare for the upcoming Test series. “Rachin Ravindra has returned home to begin his red-ball preparations for New Zealand’s upcoming Test tour to England,” a KKR statement on Friday read.
Ravindra had been bought at his base price of Rs 2 crore at the IPL 2026 mini auction last year. However, he has not been selected for a single match this year as KKR have preferred to play Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, who had been bought for a price of Rs 25.2 crore.
Also Read | Bad news for MI after thrilling IPL 2026 win over PBKS, BCCI take BIG action against…
The 26-year-old all-rounder was part of Chennai Super Kings franchise for the last couple of seasons, scoring 413 runs in 18 matches at a strike-rate of 143.9 with 2 fifties. He will now focus on red-ball training for his maiden tour to England.
The Black Caps are scheduled to play a four-day warm-up game against Ireland in Belfast from May 27 before beginning the three-match Test series in England. The matches will be played at the Lord’s (June 4-8), The Oval (June 17-21) and Nottingham (June 25-29). New Zealand are currently second in the 2025-27 World Test Championship standings with two wins and a draw.
Ravindra had struck an unbeaten 165 against Zimbabwe in August 2025 before scoring 176 in Christchurch and 72 not out and 46 in Mount Maunganui against West Indies in December last year.
Meanwhile, former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara believes that KKR’s Playoffs hopes as all but over after their loss to RCB. “It’s a tough ask for KKR. I don’t think they will be qualifying for the playoffs. The chances are very slim. The way the season has gone for KKR, there’s still a lot to play for. It’s not just about reaching the playoffs. Obviously, when you are not in contention, you play for pride. The way the season started for KKR, it didn’t go their way, but now, they have made a comeback and they would want to finish on a high,” Pujara said on JioHotstar’s ‘Google Search AI Mode Match Centre Live’.
