New Delhi: Kolkata Knight Riders kept their IPL 2026 playoff hopes alive with a four-wicket win over Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday, but the victory may have come at a cost after run-scorer Angkrish Raghunshi suffered a serious injury during the match.KKR Assistant Coach Shane Watson The latter revealed that Raghuvanshi was battling neck pain, dizziness and headache after a violent collision with teammate Varun Chakraborty while trying to take a catch during MI’s innings. The incident occurred in the 11th over when wicketkeeper Raghuvanshi ran towards Chakraborty to take a high catch delivered by Tilak Verma. Although it appeared to be a bowler’s catch, Raghuvanshi called it and came in quickly, only for the two players to collide violently. As a result of this impact, Chakraborty left the occasion, while Raghuvanshi looked visibly shaken.He was later replaced by Tejaswi Singh Dahiya as KKR’s concussion replacement and did not come out to bat during the chase.Look: Angkrish Raghavnshi and Varun Chakraborty’s hit
Watson revealed the extent of Raghuvanshi’s injury fears.
Speaking after the match, Watson admitted that the franchise was concerned about the youngster’s condition.“Inkresh, unfortunately, went a long way to try to get that catch. And unfortunately, his collision with Varun Chakraborty meant he had a sore neck, a bit of dizziness and also a headache for a few overs,” Watson said.“So, unfortunately, he wasn’t able to finish the game. And I know how disappointed he was as well. He’s as tough a competitor as I’ve ever met. So we certainly miss him from a batting point of view.”Injury could be a major concern for KKR as Raghuvanshi has been one of their most consistent batsmen during their final push for the playoffs this season.Watson also provided an update on Chakraborty, revealing that the spinner was playing through pain.“I’m not sure exactly where he is in his recovery journey at the moment. All I know is that he’s obviously playing with a bit of pain at the moment, which shows how brave he is, how much he wants to be here to contribute to KKR,” Watson said.“And he’s still bowling beautifully. It’s great to be able to see the impact he’s been able to have consistently in every game from the first few games of the season onwards. And we’re very fortunate to have some of Varun’s skills.”
KKR survived a tense chase.
KKR’s bowlers restricted Mumbai to 147/8 after opting to field first, with Corbin Bosch’s unbeaten 32 helping MI reach a competitive total.In reply, Manish Pandey and Ruman Powell guided KKR through a tense chase as the hosts cruised home in 18.5 overs.The victory, KKR’s sixth in their last seven games, kept them firmly in the playoff race with six wins, six losses and one draw from 13 matches.
