New Delhi: Focus ahead IPL The 2026 clash between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Lucknow Supergiants (LSG) hinges on whether Cameron Green will return to bowling. During the pre-match warm-up at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on Thursday, the all-rounder was seen bowling in the nets, raising hopes that he will soon take over after missing the ball in earlier matches.KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane made it clear that Green’s bowling is key to improving the team’s combination.
“When he (Green) is allowed to bowl, we’ll see, the combination gets better, so Rowman Powell plays, we have an extra bowler when Cam Green bowls,” he said after being asked to bat first at the toss. He also confirmed the line-up change, adding, “Just one change – Sunil (Narayan) comes in for Blessing, Varun is still recovering from his hand injury.”Talking about the batting approach, Rahane said, “We just want to, as a batting unit, look at the ball and instead of putting pressure on ourselves, try to focus on a specific target and then try to achieve it. I think in the moment, try to react and look at the ball.”The debate surrounding Green started after KKR’s loss to Mumbai Indians, where he did not bowl and the team struggled to defend a big total. Rahane’s earlier comment, “That’s a question you need to ask Cricket Australia,” added to the confusion and sparked debate about the player’s workload and outside influence.Cricket Australia later clarified that there was no sudden ban. Green is managing a lower back problem and is slowly working his way back to bowling. His recent net session suggests progress, though it is unclear whether he will bowl against LSG today. For such a high-profile player, expectations remain high for both batting and bowling contributions.
KKR vs LSG Playing XI
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane (C), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (W), Rinku Singh, Ruman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Navdeep Saini, Karthik TyagiEffects of Kolkata Knight Riders Manish Pandey, Vibhu Arora, Tejaswi Dahiya, Rahul Tripathi, Tim SeifertLucknow Supergiants (Playing XI): Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant (W/C), Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Mukal Chaudhary, Manimaran Siddharth, Aveesh Khan, Mohammad Shami, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Prince YadavLucknow Supergiants Impact Subs – Ayush Baduni, Matthew Bretzke, Shehbaz Ahmed, Mayank Yadav, Himmat Singh
