IPL 2026: KKR vs RR, Match 28: Stats preview of players' records and approaching milestones

Published - 18 Apr 2026, 23:14 IST | Updated - 18 Apr 2026, 23:14 IST

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lock horns with Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Sunday, April 19.

Ajinkya Rahane and Co. have been having an awful run in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The three-time champions have played six matches and lost five of them. One of their matches, against the Punjab Kings, was washed out.

In their most recent game, Rahane's men showed a lot of fight against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. However, the Titans managed to chase down a 181-run target with five wickets and two balls to spare.

The problem with the Knights has been the insipid performance from most of their batters. No one has been consistently performing well for them. The seam-bowling attack is fairly inexperienced, and Harshit Rana's absence is being felt. Sunil Narine has bowled brilliantly, but Varun Chakaravarthy has not been at his best. A defeat on Sunday could all but end their hopes of reaching the playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Rajasthan Royals have had a fantastic start to their campaign. In five matches, they have won four and lost one. In their most recent game, they lost to the Sunrisers Hyderabad by 57 runs, which brought an end to their four-match winning streak.

The inaugural champions won't be too perturbed with that defeat, as in the fickle T20 format, a defeat here and there is normal. However, the form of captain Riyan Parag will be a major concern. It is too early to say whether the pressure of captaincy is getting to him. He has done well as the captain of Assam. However, leading an IPL franchise is a different ball game altogether, with a lot of eyeballs and expectations hovering over you.

Sandeep Sharma and Tushar Deshpande have also been quite expensive so far. The Royals' management might want to consider bringing in Brijesh Sharma in place of one of the aforementioned seamers. Brijesh looked impressive in the two games he has played so far. The right-arm seamer made a name for himself during the Bengal Pro T20 League last season, playing at the Eden Gardens.