Kolkata Knight Riders finally brought an end to their losing streak in IPL 2026 by beating Rajasthan Royals by four wickets at Eden Gardens on Sunday, April 19. The victory ended 22 days of anguish for KKR, which had been near victory on several occasions. Vice-captain Rinku Singh stood firm with an unconquered 53, and Varun Chakravarthy disembowelled the Rajasthan batting to secure the win.
Rajasthan Royals won the toss and decided to bat first on what was a slow-turning pitch. Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi were in a destructive mood and raced to 81 without loss within 8.3 overs. Sooryavanshi made 46 out of 28 balls, and Jaiswal made 39 out of 29. The two were peppering the KKR seamers, and a large total seemed a possibility.
Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine Strangle the Royals
The match was changed entirely with the introduction of spin. Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine shared eight overs between them, conceding just 40 runs and taking five wickets. Chakravarthy finished with 3 for 14 from four overs, among the most economical spells of this IPL season. He dismissed Sooryavanshi, stumped Dhruv Jurel, and bowled Riyan Parag. Narine was equally tight, removing Jaiswal and Donovan Ferreira.
From 81 without loss, Rajasthan collapsed to 155 for 9. Kartik Tyagi added a career-best 3 for 22 in a decisive 19th over, dismissing Ravindra Jadeja and Shimron Hetmyer in quick succession. The target of 156 looked gettable, but Rajasthan’s bowlers had other ideas early in the KKR chase.
KKR’s Collapse and Rinku’s Match-Winning Recovery
Jofra Archer struck the first ball to remove Tim Seifert, and captain Ajinkya Rahane fell for a duck in the second over. Cameron Green hit a brisk 27 off 13 before a brilliant stumping by Jurel off Ravi Bishnoi halted KKR’s momentum. At 70 for 5, the chase was slipping away.
A dropped catch off Rinku Singh, who was on just 8, proved to be the turning point. Nandre Burger shelled the chance at short third, and KKR never looked back from that moment. Rinku, growing in confidence, launched a slog-swept six off Bishnoi at the start of the 16th over to signal his intent.
Then Anukul Roy entered the game and played a vital role, making 29/16 with clean hits. The two sewed a match-winning 76-run partnership off 37 balls. Roy punished slack deliveries by Archer and Brijesh Sharma, and Rinku raised his fifty with a six, which essentially ended the game. KKR crossed the line with two balls to spare.
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What This Win Means for KKR
The victory lifted KKR off the bottom of the IPL 2026 table and gave the squad much-needed belief. Varun Chakravarthy was named Player of the Match for his control of the ball. For Rajasthan Royals, it was another case of a strong batting start undone by a middle-order collapse and ineffective death bowling. KKR, finally, have their first two points of the season.
KKR will seek to continue the momentum into their next matches. They have Lucknow Super Giants, whom they will play away in Lucknow on April 26 (Match 38), and they will host the Gujarat Titans in Eden Gardens on May 16 (Match 60).
Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, will be keen to rejuvenate as soon as possible. They take Sunrisers Hyderabad to Jaipur on April 25 (Match 36), and then travel to New Chandigarh to play Punjab Kings on April 28 (Match 40).
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