New Delhi: Kolkata Knight Riders will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru for the must-win IPL 2026 at the Shaheed Vir Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur. KKR, eighth in the points table with four wins, five losses and nine points, need victories in all their remaining matches to keep their playoff hopes alive.The franchise will also be hoping that star spinner Varun Chakraborty recovers in time for the crucial match against RCB.
Will Chakraborty play against RCB? KKR are sweating on their fitness ahead of the match.Assistant coach Shane Watson said Chakraborty, who injured his left leg during the previous match, is doubtful for the game.“He’s just being monitored at the moment. He was obviously in a lot of pain in the second last match and the last match, although he bowled incredibly well,” Watson said.“We’ve got our fingers crossed that he’ll be available for tomorrow, but we’re not quite sure yet.”Watson was also full of praise for young batsman Angkarsh Raghuvanshi, describing his skill level as “amazing”.“The development of his skills at a 21-year-old, it’s pretty amazing to be honest. It’s been amazing for me to see his ability to adapt to different situations, different bowlers and have all the skill options and shot options he’s been able to navigate.”Watson added that KKR have finally started to settle as a unit after a slow start to the season and expressed confidence that the team can still make a late push for the IPL playoffs.“To be completely honest, we haven’t talked about the future at all,” Watson said ahead of the match against defending champions RCB.“From where we went from halfway through the tournament to the cricket we’ve been playing, especially in the last two games, it’s been impressive to see our group really come together in all aspects.“We are all hopeful and know that there are teams that have reached the finals after not starting the season well and come out angry. The history of the IPL has shown that, so we definitely know it is possible.”Watson said the team needed time to adjust after the big changes after the auction.“It takes a bit of time for everybody to really work out where everybody fits into the squad and the team because there’s been quite a bit of turnover from last season to this season,” he said.“And now that things have come together so well, our batting order is a lot more stable. We’ve got a better idea of what works for us with the makeup of our full team.”
