Kolkata Knight Riders have suffered a major setback in their crucial IPL 2026 clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, with star spinner Varun Chakraborty ruled out with an injury in the previous match against Delhi Capitals. The enigmatic spinner was spotted limping ahead of the match in Raipur while chatting with debutant Saurabh Dubey during the warm-up, strongly hinting at fitness concerns ahead of the toss and confirming his absence from the playing XI.
KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane It was later revealed that Varun was not available for selection, while uncapped pacer Saurabh Dubey made his IPL debut. “The last four games have been good for us. For us it’s just taking it one game at a time. It’s about respecting the opposition and winning those small moments. That’s what this format is all about, it’s important to win those little moments. Varun is out, Saurabh comes for him,” Rahane said at the toss. Varun’s absence comes as a big blow for Kolkata Knight Riders, especially considering the spinner’s role in the team’s remarkable turnaround this season. After losing five of their first six matches, KKR made a strong comeback and entered the match unbeaten in their last four matches, keeping their playoff hopes alive. The spinner was central to this revival with his control and wicket-taking ability in the middle overs. However, there were concerns about his fitness during the last match against Delhi Capitals when he looked restless on the field. The match was delayed due to rain in Raipur, the toss was finally held at 8:30 and play was scheduled to start at 8:45. Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the toss and decided to bowl first with the captain. Rajat Patidar The surface is expected to behave like the one used during RCB’s sensational last-ball win against Mumbai Indians earlier this week. “We’ll bowl first. I think it’s the same wicket we played in the last match. It’s going to behave the same way. We’ll try to put them under pressure. I think the wickets will be pretty similar, variable bounce. It was a good game for us, everybody’s very confident. Every game is important, we’re more focused on playing good cricket,” Pastor Shaffer said. RCB entered the competition riding the momentum of their dramatic win against Mumbai Indians, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood continuing to dominate with the new ball this season. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli came into the game to recover from consecutive ducks.Teams:Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane (c), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (w), Ruman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Vibhu Arora, Karthik TyagiRoyal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Jacob Bethel, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Venkatesh Iyer, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasheed Salam Dar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood For KKR, however, the spotlight shifted firmly to Varun Chakraborty’s injury, with the team now forced to go into the must-win clash without one of their most influential bowlers.
