IPL 2026: Mid-season review

If there is any team that would look to repeat the first half of their campaign in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, it would probably be the three-time defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

The purple-shirted Knight Riders have had a forgettable first half of the new season among all teams, with a paltry two wins from eight matches as they slipped to eighth in the points table.

Let’s see what went wrong for the franchise and whether they can still bounce back to make the final four for the playoffs.

Before we move on, let’s take a look at how KKR’s IPL 2026 has been so far.

The three-time champions started their season with a six-wicket defeat against five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI). They then lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their second match and finally their quest for their first point of the season ended due to a poor match against Punjab Kings (PBKS).

They lost their next three games to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT) by 3 wickets, 32 runs and 5 wickets respectively, starting their worst ever IPL campaign.

However, they eventually managed to get their first win of the season against Rajasthan Royals (RR), before defeating Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Super Over, defeating them by 4 wickets. Despite two consecutive wins, KKR still finds itself in the bottom half of the table.

KKR’s top order has been their strongest batting so far. Ajinkya Rahane has scored 162 runs in seven matches while batting at numbers 1, 2 and 3, providing flexibility and experience at the top. Angkrish Raghuvanshi has performed brilliantly by scoring 209 runs in seven matches, making him the second highest run-scorer for KKR this season. His ability to contribute at both No. 3 and No. 4 has added stability.

The middle order has been productive but somewhat inconsistent. After a slow start, Rinku Singh has found form in the last two matches and now has 215 runs to his name in eight matches while batting at No. 5 and 6, continuing his role as a finisher. Rovman Powell has impressed with 121 runs in six matches and has been hard hitting in the middle overs.

This phase has been more utility-driven than run-heavy. Anukul Roy has scored 39 runs while batting between numbers 6 and 8, but his greater impact has been with the ball. Sunil Narine has scored only 40 runs playing at No. 2 and No. 8, which means his batting returns have been limited.

KKR fast bowlers have overall performed well after a slow start. Kartik Tyagi leads the pace unit with 9 wickets in eight matches and has been one of the most effective wicket-takers for the team. Vaibhav Arora has also taken 9 wickets while continuously providing support with the new ball.

Blessing Muzarabani made an immediate impact by taking 4 wickets, but his high economy rate forced KKR to drop him after just two matches, while Navdeep Saini is yet to get a wicket in two matches.

KKR’s campaign was hit by injuries even before the start of the season as they lost two frontline bowlers in Harshit Rana and Akash Deep to injury, while the arrival of one of their biggest signings, Mathisha Pathirana, was delayed as he was refused an NOC by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).

Despite a slow start with the ball and over-reliance on the top order, KKR have started to hide their shortcomings in the last few matches. Cameron Green and Rinku Singh have started scoring runs in the middle order, while the introduction of Kartik Tyagi has rejuvenated their pace attack.

KKR currently have five points from eight matches, which means they can reach a maximum of 17 points. If we look at the history of IPL, 16 points is considered a safe mark to qualify for the playoffs, which means KKR still have a chance to take matters into their own hands.