Cameron Green and Rinku Singh. (Photo Credits: BCCI/X)
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 schedule has been announced with the tournament all set too commence on March 28. Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad will be taking on each other in the opening clash. The three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders will kick-start their campaign against Mumbai Indians at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
The Knight Riders have some of the prominent names in the unit and have a pretty stable squad. They had a forgettable run in the last season of IPL ending at number 8 with just five wins in 14 matches under their belt.
A major aspect of the KKR’s disappointing show in the last season was the bowling performance. The bowling unit had generally leaked runs at a much higher pace while the batting too failed at some occasions that certainly changed the course of the tournament for them.
They would now look to turn fortunes from themselves in the upcoming edition.
Australia all-rounder Cameron Green who has earlier played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 25.20 crore. In 29 matches that he has played in IPL, Green has scored 707 runs and has picked 16 wickets. The right-handed player also has a hundred to his name and a strike-rate of over 150.
The Knight Riders would need him to fire all cylinders with the bat but more importantly would need his services in the bowling department.
Ajinkya Rahane brings in immense experience with himself both as the batter and as a leader. But he didn’t really have a great time as the captain in the first season with KKR. The right-handed batter scored 390 runs at a strike-rate of 147. The Knight Riders can rather utilise him in the way Chennai Super Kings (CSK) did in 2023 edition.
Rahane had the job of scoring quick runs and he notched up a total of 326 runs in 14 matches but at a brilliant strike rate of 172. He along with Sunil Narine at the top can provide a brisk start.
Youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi has played 22 matches for Kolkata Knight Riders and has scored 463 runs at a strike-rate of 144. The right-handed batter can be given the responsibility of coming in at number four and accelerating right from the word go.
World Cup-winner Rinku Singh will play a crucial role in the middle-order especially while chasing for the Knight Riders. The left-handed batter has done this in the past as well and the team will expect him to step up as and when required.
Spinner Varun Chakravarthy has a knack of picking wickets and his job is pretty straight forward. Choke the opposition and pick early wickets for the side.
Mustafizur Rahman is out of the side after religious leaders in Ujjain had issued a stark warning to disrupt Indian Premier League (IPL) matches by damaging pitches if Mustafizur is allowed to participate. Recent incidents in Bangladesh had sparked widespread outrage.
Harshit Rana had undergone surgery for an injury that ended his T20 World Cup dream a day before the defending champions were to start their campaign. Rana seemed to have hurt his knee during the warm-up match against South Africa held at the DY Patil Stadium last week. There is no official word on him from the franchise yet.
Sri Lankan cricketers Matheesha Pathirana was sold to KKR for a staggering INR 18 crore. Matheesha Pathirana’s 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign was cut tragically short following a serious injury during a Group B clash against Australia on February 16, 2026, at Pallekele. Now, it remains to be seen of he would play the IPL or not.
If Harshit Rana and Matheesha Pathirana are fit to play then this how their Playing XI can look.
1. Ajinkya Rahane (C)
2. Sunil Narine (O)
3. Camron Green (O)
4. Angkrish Raghuvanshi
5. Manish Pandey
6. Sarthak Ranjan/Rovman Powell (O)
7. Rinku Singh
8. Ramandeep Singh
9. Vaibhav Arora
10. Harshit Rana
11. Varun Chakravarthy
Impact- Matheesha Pathirana (O)
Also Read: Three-Time Champions Kolkata Knight Riders Face Mumbai Indians in Opener — Full Fixtures, Squad And Venues
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