Kolkata Knight Riders secured their first IPL 2026 win by four wickets against Rajasthan Royals. Varun Chakaravarthy, despite two fractured fingers in his left hand, took 3/14. Sunil Narine claimed 2/26.
Varun Chakaravarthy delivered a spell of 3/14 in four overs against Rajasthan Royals, securing KKR's first IPL 2026 victory. He dismissed teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi during an 81-run opening stand. RR were restricted to 155, and KKR chased the target with a 76-run unbeaten partnership from 85/6.
After the match, Chakaravarthy revealed, "Before the first match itself, I fractured one of my fingers and in another match, I fractured another finger. Left hand. Two fractures." He added, "I couldn’t use my left hand itself so fielding was totally out of the questions. I am still trying to manage but it’s a little painful."
Coming after five defeats and a washout, the win brought relief to the three-time IPL champions. Chakaravarthy said, "(It is) very, very significant. I can tell you that I could see many tears today inside the dressing room." He credited the coaching staff, including Abhishek Nayar, Shane Watson and Andre Russell, for shielding the team from external noise.
On the slower Eden Gardens surface, Chakaravarthy focused on attacking the stumps. He noted, "Once there is something in the pitch, I go back to my strengths." Addressing pitch speculation, he said, "We are ready for whatever it has to offer."
