The Kolkata Knight Riders’ playing XI against Punjab Kings in an IPL 2026 match saw two big names missing – Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. The two spinners have played all the games for KKR this season. However, Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Ajinkya Rahane said at the toss that both spinners were out of the match due to health-related concerns. “Two changes, forced changes. Varun Chakravarthy unfortunately got injured while taking a catch in the last game, and Sunil Narine is sick. (Rovman) Powell and (Navdeep) Saini are in,” Rahane said.
Rahane won the toss and elected to bat against Punjab Kings.
“We are going to bat first. It looks like a good wicket, a little bit on the drier side, but it’s a very good wicket with slightly less grass covering as well. That’s the reason to put runs on the board first. (What needs to be done to turn the tide in their favour?) It’s all about having that belief and confidence. Preparation-wise, we’ve been fantastic – each and every player. It’s about winning the small moments in the T20 format and giving your best. And if you find the right moment, just give your best. So, as I said, we are confident as a unit and have that belief,” he said.
KKR, who have lost both their opening games this season, made two changes, bringing in Rovman Powell and Navdeep Saini in place of the unwell Sunil Narine and mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who is out of this match due to injury.
Punjab Kings, who have won both their games so far, have retained the playing XI from the previous match.
Teams
Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Navdeep Saini, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi.
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