Rinku Singh delivered when it mattered most, guiding Kolkata Knight Riders to a four-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals in their IPL 2026 encounter on Sunday at Eden Gardens. The spinning combination of Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine effectively throttled the Royals’ batting, limiting them to 155 for nine.
After choosing to bat first, Yashasvi Jaiswal (39) and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (46) launched RR with a rapid start, racing to 81-0 within 8.3 overs. However, the spinning pair of Varun Chakaravarthy (3/14) and Sunil Narine (2/26) tightened the screws, reducing the visitors to 124 for 5 after 16 overs. While Shimron Hetmyer (15) and Riyan Parag (12) managed respectable contributions, Kartik Tyagi’s three-wicket haul (3/22) prevented any recovery, resulting in a below-average total.
Chasing, KKR stumbled early, falling to 5 for 2 in the second over before losing five wickets for 70 runs by the 11th over. Rinku then anchored the pursuit, forging a match-winning 76-run partnership off 37 deliveries with Anukul Roy (29) to seal victory with two deliveries remaining. Rinku Singh Stars in KKR’s First Win of Current IPL Campaign .
TOSS-
Rajasthan Royals won the coin flip and elected to bat first
PLAYING XI –
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
RAJASTHAN ROYALS-
Both Sooryavanshi and Jaiswal started cautiously with singles, an unusual approach possibly influenced by their previous collapse of 2/4. Despite this conservative start, Sooryavanshi blazed to 24 from 12 balls using orthodox strokes, showcasing his technical prowess. The final powerplay over witnessed both openers attacking Cameron Green mercilessly, plundering 22 runs including four wides. Sooryavanshi maintained his disciplined approach, showing respect to quality deliveries and remaining unfazed when beaten by Narine’s deliveries. This wasn’t his typical explosive innings, as he seemed intent on building a substantial score, though some aggressive shots lacked his usual timing. He eventually departed for 46, triggering a batting collapse.
Following KKR’s disappointing tournament run, this match brought back memories as Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine weaved their magic against the Royals during the middle phase. At 95/1 after ten overs, RR appeared set for a score exceeding 180, but the turning surface favored Chakaravarthy, who built on his impressive performance against GT. After dismissing Sooryavanshi by forcing him toward the longer boundary, he deceived Dhruv Jurel on the reverse sweep for a stumping. Narine then trapped Yashasvi Jaiswal at cover, initiating a boundary drought that lasted 28 deliveries.
Chakaravarthy maintained his rhythm and spin, bowling Riyan Parag through the gate before Narine concluded his spell by dismissing Donovan Ferreira, who offered a simple return catch. The spin twins claimed 5/40 from their eight-over allocation, a blow from which RR never recovered.
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS-
Jofra Archer struck with his opening delivery for the third occasion this season, bowling Tim Seifert, before Ajinkya Rahane recorded consecutive ducks by slashing a wide ball to the wicketkeeper. Cameron Green launched a counterattack, prompting Parag to introduce Ravi Bishnoi, who dismissed the all-rounder with assistance from Dhruv Jurel’s spectacular glovework, collecting the ball down leg-side before breaking the stumps. Ravindra Jadeja claimed two scalps while tall leg-spinner Yash Raj Punja proved an excellent Impact Player selection for RR, returning figures of 1-25.
When Rinku Singh was struggling on 8 from 8 balls in the 11th over, he skied a Jadeja delivery toward Nandre Burger at short third man, but the fielder botched the catch. This proved a pivotal moment, as Rinku capitalized on the reprieve to steer the chase with remarkable composure. After the spinners had strangled KKR’s run rate, they required 59 from the final five overs pursuing 156.
Rinku seized control, sweeping Bishnoi over midwicket before collecting boundaries off Archer’s bowling. Anukul Roy provided valuable support with crucial strikes as KKR entered the final over needing nine runs. Brijesh Sharma bowled the decisive over but erred with his line, allowing Rinku to hammer two boundaries to level the scores before hooking a bouncer over the keeper for his half-century and KKR’s maiden victory.
Brief Scores:
Rajasthan Royals 155/9 in 20 overs [Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 46 (28); Varun Chakaravarthy 3-14, Kartik Tyagi 3-22, Sunil Narine 2-26] lost to Kolkata Knight Riders 161/6 in 19.4 overs [Rinku Singh 53* (34), Anukul Roy 29* (16); Ravindra Jadeja 2-8, Yash Raj Punja 1-25] by 4 wickets.
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