Kolkata Knight Riders Face Lucknow Super Giants in Crucial IPL 2026 Match

Match Overview

The Kolkata Knight Riders are set to clash with the Lucknow Super Giants in a pivotal IPL 2026 match at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. This encounter is crucial for KKR as they seek their first victory of the tournament, having previously earned a point from a rain-affected match against Punjab Kings (PBKS). The team has fielded a robust playing XI, but notably, star spinner Varun Chakaravarthy will miss his second consecutive game.

Chakaravarthy's Absence Explained

Why Varun Chakaravarthy Is Not Playing

According to KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane, Chakaravarthy is sidelined due to a hand injury sustained while catching a ball from Abhishek Sharma during the match against SRH. He also missed the previous game against PBKS. Rahane mentioned, "Varun injured the little finger on his left hand while taking Abhishek’s catch in the match vs SRH. The medical team has been working closely with him. He bowled his full set at training today," during the pre-match press conference on April 8 (Wednesday).

Team Updates

Sunil Narine Returns, Cameron Green To Bowl

Sunil Narine, who was absent in the previous match due to illness, has made a comeback to the playing XI against LSG, replacing Blessing Muzarabani. Rahane also confirmed that Cameron Green will bowl for the first time in IPL 2026 during this match. He stated, "Just one change - Sunil comes in place of Blessing, Varun is still recovering from his hand injury. When he (Green) is allowed to bowl, we will probably see him, the combination gets better, so Rovman Powell plays, when Cam Green bowls then we have that extra bowler with us," at the toss.

KKR's Playing XI

KKR Playing XI vs LSG

Ajinkya Rahane(c), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Navdeep Saini, Kartik TyagiImpact Subs: Manish Pandey, Vaibhav Arora, Tejasvi Dahiya, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert