The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) square off against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in match No. 28 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Eden Gardens on Sunday, April 18.
The Knights are still searching for their first win in IPL 2026. They are the only winless team in this year’s competition; having lost five out of the six games they have played. One of their matches ended without a result due to rain. They are coming into this contest on the back of a five-wicket defeat to the Gujarat Titans.
The Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, will want to return to winning ways after suffering their first defeat of the season in the last game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Riyan Parag and Co. find themselves at No. 3 in the standings, having won four and lost one game so far.
KKR vs RR Match Details
| Match | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, Match 28, IPL 2026 |
| Date and Time (IST) | Sunday, April 19, 3:30 PM |
| Venue | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| Broadcast and Live-Streaming Details | JioStar Network Channels and JioHotstar (App & Website) |
Eden Gardens, Kolkata Pitch Report
The Eden Gardens has been a ground where chasing has been more beneficial in the shortest format. There is even bounce and good carry through to the wicketkeeper. In the two completed games at the iconic venue in IPL 2026, the average first-innings score was around 204. The captain who wins the toss would want to bowl first and restricting teams is very difficult on this ground, with relatively shorter boundaries and a lightning-fast outfield.
KKR vs RR Head to Head T20 Record
| Matches Played | 32 |
| Won by Kolkata Knight Riders | 16 |
| Won by Rajasthan Royals | 14 |
| Tied | 00 |
| No Result | 02 |
| First-ever Fixture | May 01, 2008 (RR Won) |
| Most-recent Fixture | May 4, 2025 (KKR Won) |
KKR vs RR Predicted Playing 11s
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR):
Ajinkya Rahane (C), Tim Seifert (WK), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Kartik Tyagi.
Impact Player: Vaibhav Arora
Rajasthan Royals (RR):
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Riyan Parag (C), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi.
Impact Player: Tushar Deshpande
KKR vs RR Probable Best Performances of the Match
Probable Best Batter: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has amassed 200 runs in five innings at an average of 40 and a strike rate of 263.16. In the last game, he registered a golden duck. The 15-year-old would want to get back among the runs and he will enjoy batting at the Eden Gardens, which is expected to provide another batting paradise on Sunday.
Probable Best Bowler: Jofra Archer
Jofra Archer has been in scintillating form. He has been consistently picking up wickets with the new ball, something that is very crucial in T20 cricket these days. If Archer bends his back and hits the deck, he will cause some problems for the opposition batters. His pace will also keep the batters on their toes.
