Varun Chakaravarthy starred with the ball in hand before Rinku Singh made RR pay for a dropped catch as his half-century under pressure helped KKR clinch a thriller with 2 balls to spare and 4 wickets in hand. Both Varun and Rinku Singh were struggling for form, but they found a way to get the job done. RR won the toss and elected to bat first, and after starting well through an 81-run opening stand, collapsed as Varun Chakaravarthy starred with 3 wickets and Sunil Narine picked up 2 wickets to keep RR down to 155/9 in 20 overs.
In the chase, KKR lost early wickets and continued to do so at regular intervals to be under the pump. They slipped to 85/6 at one stage, but through Rinku Singh, who made RR pay for the dropped catch by Burger off Jadeja when he was on 8. Rinku went on to make an unbeaten half-century while Anukul Roy played a valuable hand as KKR got over the line with 2 balls to spare and 4 wickets in hand to climb above MI to 9th in the table.
Varun Chakaravarthy’s 3-wicket haul limits RR to 155/9
Winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi came out to open the batting for RR while Vaibhav Arora had the ball in hand for KKR. The duo got off to a solid start with a steady base. Sooryavanshi was the aggressor of the two, while Jaiswal played second fiddle really well. They laid the base for the Royals. The power play went the Royals’ way as they made 63/0 in 6 overs.
The duo carried on their good work in the middle phase of the game. The duo added 81 runs inside 9 and laid the base for the RR innings. The 81 runs were added in 8.4 overs before the Knights got their first breakthrough when they removed Vaibhav for 46 off 28 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes to his name to Varun Chakaravarthy. Keeper batter Dhruv Jurel came out to bat next.
Jurel failed to get going today as that wicket reignited KKR as they clawed their way back in the contest. The duo added 16 runs to the score before Jurel fell for 5 off 7 balls to Varun yet again. Captain and perennial underperformer Riyan Parag came out to bat next. Just 2 runs were added to the score before Jaiswal fell for 39 off 29 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes to his name to Sunil Narine. Shimron Hetmyer came out to bat next.
Hetmyer and Parag tried to forge another stand but struggled to time the ball. The duo added 18 runs for the 4th wicket before Parag, the captain, fell for 12 off 14 balls with one four to his name. Donovan Ferreira came out to bat next. Just 7 runs were added to the tally before Ferreira fell for 7 off 7 balls with one six to his name to Narine. Ravindra Jadeja came out to bat next.
Hetmyer and Jadeja tried to forge another partnership as they added 20 runs to the total for the 6th wicket before Jadeja fell for 8 off 7 balls with one four to his name to Kartik Tyagi. Jofra Archer came out to bat next. Just 2 runs were added to the total before Hetmyer fell for a struggling 15 off 18 balls to Tyagi. Ravi Bishnoi came out to bat next. Another wicket fell in the same over as Tyagi removed Bishnoi for a silver duck. Brijesh Sharma came out to bat next. He got off the mark as well.
The duo added 9 runs for the 9th wicket before Archer was run out for 9 off 5 balls with one boundary to his name off the final ball of the innings as RR ended with a below-par score of 155/9 in 20 overs. 13 extras given by the fielding side. The KKR bowlers bowled well out there. Varun Chakaravarthy was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/14 in 4 overs. He was ably supported by Kartik Tyagi, who finished with 3/22 in 4 overs. Sunil Narine finished with 2/26 in 4 overs.
Vaibhav Arora finished with 0/37 in 4 overs. Cameron Green went for 27 in 2 overs. Ramandeep Singh bowled 2 overs for 26 runs. So, this meant that KKR now needed 156 runs to win off 20 overs to notch up their first win this season.
Rinku Singh’s unbeaten half-century under pressure helps KKR get over the line with a whisker
Chasing 156 for the win, Tim Seifert, the keeper batter, came out to open the batting with captain Ajinkya Rahane while Jofra Archer had the ball in hand for RR. Archer gave RR the perfect start as he removed Seifert off the first ball of the innings by knocking him over. He went for a golden duck. Impact Player Angkrish Raghuvanshi came out to bat for KKR next. Just 3 runs were added to the score before the captain, Rahane, fell for a silver duck. Cameron Green came out to bat next.
Green came out all guns blazing and was quick off the blocks, while Raghuvanshi struggled with his timing. The duo added a crucial 32 runs for the third wicket before Green fell for 27 off 13 balls with 4 fours and one six to his name to Ravi Bishnoi as the KKR team was 3 down inside the power play. Rovman Powell came out to bat next. The duo added another 15 runs to the tally before Raghuvanshi fell for 10 off 19 balls with one four to his name to Jadeja.
Rinku Singh came out to bat next. Powell and Rinku added 18 runs to the tally before Powell fell for 23 off 20 balls with 2 fours and one six to his name to Jadeja yet again. Ramandeep Singh came out to bat next. Then came the big moment in the match, out of form Rinku Singh was batting on 8* when he was given a reprieve as his catch was dropped by Nehal Wadhera, and this would prove to be costly for the RR team.
The duo of Rinku Singh and Ramandeep Singh added 15 runs to the tally before Ramandeep fell for 10 off 13 balls with one four to his name to Yash Punja, the impact Player. KKR were left reeling at 85/6 in 13.3 overs when Anukul Roy came out to bat next to join Rinku in the middle. With 6.3 overs left, Rinku slowly played his way in and turned it on. Anukul got himself in and then played some exquisite shots.
Rinku and Anukul were set and determined to get the job done for KKR. Rinku, after getting a lifeline, became more determined to prove a point, and he did with this innings. Anukul relieved the pressure by playing his game. The equation was simple in the end. They kept the required rate under control and then accelerated towards the end. The duo put on an unbroken 76-run stand for the 6th wicket. With 9 needed off 6 balls, Rinku finished things off and got a fifty as well.
Rinku Singh stayed unbeaten on 53 off 34 balls with 5 fours and 2 sixes to his name, while Anukul Roy played his part with his unbeaten 29 off 16 balls with one four and two sixes to his name as KKR finished off the chase in 19.4 overs, winning by 4 wickets with 2 balls to spare. 9 extras given by the fielding side.
Ravindra Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers for RR with figures of 2/8 in 3 overs. Yash Punja, the Impact Player, finished with 1/25 in 4 overs. Ravi Bishnoi finished with 1/41 in 4 overs. Nandre Burger finished with 1/20 in 2 overs. Jofra Archer finished with 1/35 in 4 overs. Riyan Parag bowled an over for 10 runs while Brijesh Sharma bowled 1.4 overs for 21 runs. So, KKR finally won a match in IPL 2026, winning by 4 wickets with 2 balls to spare to climb upwards to 9th in the table. Varun Chakaravarthy was adjudged the Player of the Match.
What Lies Ahead
KKR finally notch up a win with a narrow 4-wicket win with 2 balls to spare to climb upwards to 9th in the points table. They have a lot of work to do in this tournament. RR, on the other hand, have lost back-to-back games and has certain things exposed. They have been given a reality check by SRH and now by KKR. So, a lot of action to look forward to for us with PBKS hosting LSG in the day’s second game in Mullanpur.
Let’s see how the second game of the evening pans out for all of us.
Also Read:Â KKR vs RR: Can KKR Finally Get A Win Against Rampant RR