• Source:JND
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RCB vs KKR IPL 2026: Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a major setback in their IPL 2026 clash with Royal Challengers Bengaluru as mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy was ruled out due to an injury sustained against Delhi Capitals. He was seen limping ahead of the match and conversing with Saurabh Dubey during warm-ups, confirming his absence even before it was officially announced at the toss.

KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane confirmed Varun Chakravarthy would not play and that uncapped fast bowler Sourabh Dubey would replace him.

"The last four games have been good for us. For us, it's taking one game at a time. It's about respecting the opponents and winning those small moments. This format is all about that; winning those small moments is important. Varun is out. Sourabh comes in for him", Ajinkya Rahane was heard as saying at the toss.

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Varun's absence significantly impacts the Kolkata franchise, given his pivotal role in the team's resurgence. After losing five straight games, Ajinkya Rahane's squad staged a remarkable comeback, entering this match on a four-game winning streak that keeps them as playoff contenders.

Chakravarthy was instrumental in the turnaround, consistently taking wickets in the middle overs. However, fitness issues surfaced against Axar Patel’s team as he was visibly struggling on the field.

The match was delayed by incessant rain, with the toss held at 8:30 p.m. and the match starting at 8:45 p.m.

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Rajat Patidar won the toss and chose to bowl first, as he thought the pitch would remain the same, as it was during the thrilling last-ball win against the Suryakumar Yadav-led side last week.

"We will bowl first. I think it's a similar wicket we played in the last match. It will behave similarly. We will try to keep them under pressure. I think the wickets are pretty much the same. There will be variable bounce. That was a good game for us. Everyone has a lot of confidence. Every game is important; we are focusing on playing good cricket. Venky comes in for Shepherd", Rajat Patidar was heard as saying at the toss.

The hosts arrived off a thrilling victory over the Mumbai franchise, with Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood excelling with the new ball. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli aims to rebound after two successive ducks.

Teams:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Venkatesh Iyer, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood.

For Ajinkya Rahane’s team, attention remains on Varun Chakravarthy’s fitness as they face a must-win scenario and lack their leading bowlers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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