KKR vs PBKS Highlights, IPL 2026: Rain saves Kolkata's blushes as match with Punjab gets called off

So, finally rain wins at the Eden Gardens on Monday as the match gets abandoned. The groundsmen tried their best but the umpires felt it was good not to go ahead and finish the game. Rahane and Shreyas shake hands with the umpires and each other and it will be the KKR skipper who will be the most happiest. 

The decision to bat first clearly backfired, but rain came to their rescue in the end. 

Ok, so the groundsmen have started their work at the Eden Gardens just as the rain has come to an end. They're making sure that no water is being spilt on the ground. The umpires are slowly making their way to the middle across the full covers on the ground. 

There is good news from the Eden Gardens as the rain has come to a stop. But the ground is still covered and the groundsmen haven't received the go-ahead to take them off. The cut-off for a five-over game is 11:14 pm and now the groundsmen will face a race against time to get things sorted. 

It's raining steadily in Kolkata. The entire ground has been covered. 

It doesn't look encouraging. The ground staff will need time to get the field of play ready once the rain stops. 

The cut-off time for a five-overs-per-side contest is 74 minutes away - 11:14 pm IST. The rain needs to stop soon for any chance of play tonight. 

Sorry for getting that wrong. The cut-off time is not 10:45 pm IST, but 11:14 pm IST for a five-overs-per-side game. If the game gets underway at that time, it should end by 11:40 pm IST. 

It's something that has changed this year in the IPL. 

Meanwhile, the rain is steady in Kolkata. 

Kevin Pietersen, who is at Eden Gardens, brings us the latest weather update. And it's not encouraging. 

“It looks like an ice rink at the moment. The wind is heavy and the ground staff are doing a great job, trying to keep the covers on the ground. If it stops and when it stops, we will get some play, because the entire ground is covered,” he said.

“I just saw a weather report and it said: ‘the worst is yet to come’. But, let’s keep our hopes high,” he added. 

It's getting worse in Kolkata. Heavy rain accompanied by gushing winds at the moment. The ground staff is struggling to keep the covers on the ground. 

The chances of play resuming anytime soon look bleak. 

The rain has intensified, with fans now taking cover, according to reports. The cut-off time for a five-overs-per-side contest is 10:45 pm IST.

There are also plenty of empty seats at Eden Gardens today, as reported by RevSportz's Debasis Sen.

It appears many fans may have chosen to stay away, anticipating the rain. The fact that it is a weekday could also be a factor. That said, the IPL has traditionally been weekday-proof for many years-especially at Eden Gardens.

The wait continues. The drizzle continues. Some 15 minutes ago, the intensity also picked up.

We are in for a long wait. 

If you are a KKR fan, would you be happy with a point today, considering how unstable the team is now?

Just when things looked set to resume, the rain has returned at Eden Gardens, forcing the covers back on. The situation remains fluid, with the next inspection now scheduled for 8:45 PM.

With a thunderstorm alert in place and showers expected in bursts, delays could stretch further, adding to the frustration for both Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings as they wait for a window to get back on the field.

Shreevats Goswami expressed surprise at Ajinkya Rahane’s decision to bat first for Kolkata Knight Riders in overcast conditions, calling it a “shocker” as early movement led to two quick wickets.

The former cricketer pointed out that the conditions clearly favoured seamers, with visible swing and edges carrying behind, making the decision a bold — and risky — one.

With KKR already under pressure in the points table, the move has raised further questions about their on-field calls and adaptability in changing conditions.

The good news for the fans is that the covers are already coming off. Looks like the rain has also reduced quite a bit, enough to remove the covers. Meanwhile, Shah Rukh Khan is also present at the stadium watching away. 

Well, someone has said it. 

Why did KKR win the toss and bat first, knowing there was rain forecast in the evening?

The good news is that it's only a drizzle at the moment. It has not got heavier.

Fans aren't using umbrellas and are enjoying the vibe at Eden Gardens. 

Hopefully, the drizzle stops and we get back to action now. 

Stay tuned with us for more updates. 

Social media is buzzing with reactions to that Cameron Green cameo. As expected, the price tag has become the talking point. 

Rain halts play in Kolkata. A welcome break for the Kolkata Knight Riders?

The entire ground is being covered. 

Let's hope it's a passing shower only.

LIVE SCORE: KKR (25 for 2 in 3.4 overs) vs PBKS. Rahane (8*), Raghuvanshi (7*); Bartlett (2/9)

18, 2 and 4. Cameron Green hasn't gotten going at all. The Australian all-rounder, who was bought for Rs 25.2 crore, has flopped with the bat. And he is yet to start bowling for Kolkata Knight Riders. 

Some experts were calling KKR to drop Green if he was not going to bowl, saying they get better value from West Indies's Rovman Powell. 

Meanwhile, young Angkrish Raghuvanshi is in at No. 4. Pressure on him and captain Ajinkya Rahane. 

Twin strike for Xavier Bartlett in his first over. Some fine outswingers and the Kolkata Knight Riders batters are unable to cope with it. 

After Finn Allen, Cameron Green bites the dust. The Australian all-rounder falls for 4. A poor poke and he managed a healthy edge to wicketkeeper Prabhsimran. 

Two wickets in that over for Bartlett. Reward for bowling a persistent line when there was outswing for him. 

Sensational bowling this from Xavier Bartlett. Finn Allen is out for 6. An outside edge that flew to the wicketkeeper. 

Eden Gardens goes silent. One of their most explosive batters has failed early.

Four outswingers. Four swings, three of them missed the bat. But, the fourth one kissed the edge and Prabhsimran takes a good low catch. 

Arshdeep Singh got the ball to move both ways. And like Ajinkya Rahane said at the toss, the pitch seems to be dry. Two streaky boundaries, one each from Ajinkya Rahane and Finn Allen, make the first over expensive. But, in reality, the rub of the green did not go Arshdeep Singh's way. 

The last ball was a yorker that was tailing in, but Allen collected a boundary through an inside edge. 

Ajinkya Rahane has gotten off the mark with a single. An inswinger from Arshdeep Singh, who opens the bowling for the Punjab Kings. 

Finn Allen is Rahane's batting partner. 

Can these two give the home team a good start in Kolkata? 

It's a packed house at Eden Gardens, and they will be behind the home team. 

No spin twins for Kolkata Knight Riders today. And R Ashwin has a cheeky reaction. 

It was win-win at the toss. Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to bat, saying the pitch, despite having been under covers, is on the drier side. There is rain threat through the evening in Kolkata. Does it not suit the team chasing? They will know what their target is if the Duckworth Lewis and Stern method comes into play.

Shreyas Iyer was thrilled with that call. He lost the toss, but got what he wanted: bowling first. 

"Not at all, I was supposed to bowl as well. So kind of happy with the decision he took," the Punjab Kings captain said.

Kolkata Knight Riders are playing only three overseas players in their starting XI. Blessing Muzarabani is likely to be their Impact Sub in the bowling innings. 

Kolkata Knight Riders: Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Navdeep Saini, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi.

KKR Impact subs: Blessing Muzarabani, Manish Pandey, Tejasvi Singh, Rahul Tripathi, Saurabh Dubey.

Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Shreyas Iyer (captain), Cooper Connolly, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.

PBKS Impact subs: Priyansh Arya, Suryansh Shedge, Vishnu Vinod, Pravin Dubey, Harpreet Brar.
 

Kolkata Knight Riders will be without Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy in their XI for the first time in 7 years. The last time they did not play at least one of them in the XI was in 2019 when they played Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav in their XI. 

Keep in mind, Varun made his debut in 2020 for the Knight Riders and went on to form a potent spin-bowling pair with Sunil Narine. 

The spin twins are not there for Kolkata Knight Riders today. How big a blow is this? 

When they are down 0-2 early in the season, today is the day they would have loved to have their biggest match-winners. 

• Varun Chakravarthy is out of today's match due to an injury he suffered in their last game. 
• Sunil Narine, meanwhile, is unwell. 

Kolkata Knight Riders have won the toss and opted to bat. Surprise! 

With rain threat around, most teams would have opted to bowl first. And Punjab Kings have been chasing everything in the last two seasons. 

Wise call from Ajinkya Rahane? What do you reckon? 

Navdeep Saini, 33, makes his debut for Kolkata Knight Riders today. He was given his cap in the pre-match huddle. 

Navdeep last played in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals in 2023. He was signed as an injury replacement for Harshit Rana, who is at Eden today to cheer on the team. 

Navdeep has been in fine form with the white ball. He starred in Delhi's Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign, taking 12 wickets in 8 matches at less than six runs per over. He was the seocnd-highest wicket-taker for Delhi in the 50-over tournament last season. 

Captain Ajinkya Rahane has let his bat do the talking, even increasing his strike rate post powerplay – something that he struggled with in the last season. But, some of his straightforward comments in the press hasn't gone down well with KKR faithfuls. 

He openly said after their last defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad that Varun Chakravarthy was going through a tough phase. He did not use the full quota of overs for their premier spinner. 

Can Rahane silence his critics with a win tonight? 

Good news from Eden Gardens. It's not raining at the moment. The covers are off and the players are warming up. Shreyas Iyer, the former KKR captain, is walking into the ground for a look at the pitch and the conditions. 

The pitch has been under the covers. So, it will be a tricky pitch, especially for the team batting first.

The team winning the toss is likely to bowl first, given the chances of rain throuigh the evening. 

Rain threat is looming large in Kolkata and it seems like the ground staff isn't taking any risk. The ground is fully covered at the moment. This could mean that there might be some swing early on offer and the toss will be crucial in the contest tonight. We are less than half an hour away from the toss. 

Ahead of the game, Harshit Rana has linked up with the KKR squad to cheer them on for the game against PBKS. The Indian pacer is ruled out of the entire tournament, but he is in Kolkata to cheer his side, who are in desperate need of some inspiration. Maybe a small pep talk from Harshit could do the trick. 

Despite the early setback, Kolkata Knight Riders find themselves under increasing pressure after back-to-back losses, sitting near the bottom of the IPL 2026 points table with a poor net run rate.

In contrast, Sunrisers Hyderabad have opened their account and will take confidence from their dominant win, though consistency remains key with just one win in three games.

At the top, teams like RCB, RR, DC and PBKS have made strong starts with two wins each, tightening the race early in the season and leaving KKR with little margin for error going forward.

Take a look at the points table

Sunrisers Hyderabad secured their first win of IPL 2026 with a commanding victory over Kolkata Knight Riders, as Sunil Gavaskar raised concerns over Cameron Green’s role in the KKR setup.

“KKR will need to think about their combination if Cameron Green is not going to bowl. If he isn’t contributing with the ball, then they might have to consider bringing in another specialist batter,” Gavaskar said.

He further pointed out that while Green’s ability with the bat is proven, his recent form and lack of bowling impact raise selection questions, especially with instability in the middle order.

SRH’s win was powered by a key stand between Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy, which helped them post a formidable total, exposing KKR’s balance issues.

Ricky Ponting’s aggressive rebuild at Punjab Kings is already delivering results after their win over Chennai Super Kings, with the head coach revealing that retaining just two players gave him the freedom to shape the squad around his vision, led by Shreyas Iyer.

“By just keeping Prabhsimran and Shashank, it gave us an opportunity for me to pick the guys that I wanted to work with. Shreyas was obviously number one on the list,” Ponting said on Jiostar.

PBKS have opened IPL 2026 with back-to-back wins, driven by a strong Indian core including Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal, while maintaining continuity from last season.

Meanwhile, Harbhajan Singh lauded Chahal’s craft, calling classical wrist spin a “dying art” after his impactful spell against CSK.

KKR vs PBKS: Predicted XI

KKR Predicted XI: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy/Tejasvi Singh, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Blessing Muzarabani

Impact Sub: Finn Allen

PBKS Predicted XI: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

Impact Sub: Priyansh Arya

The Knight Riders have had the upper hand over the Kings over the years, having won 21 out of 35 matches, losing 13 while one match was washed off. At the Eden Gardens, KKR have won nine out of 14 matches against PBKS. In their previous completed match, PBKS beat KKR by 16 runs after bowling the opposition out for 95 while defending 111.

After the defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad, Ajinkya Rahane admitted that Kolkata Knight Riders may have to consider playing an extra batter â€” and it is easy to see why. KKR were bowled out for 161 in just 16 overs. Even Sunil Gavaskar pointed out that they need to add another batter, especially with Cameron Green currently unable to bowl.

Green may be the big-money signing, but if he is not contributing with the ball, KKR need someone who can strengthen the lower order and improve the balance of the XI.

So, who could they turn to? An exciting, if slightly risky, option is Delhi Premier League import Tejasvi Singh. In the 2025 DPL, he scored 339 runs in just 10 innings at a strike rate of over 190, finishing as the tournament’s second-highest six-hitter with 29 maximums. His standout moment came in a rain-hit chase, when he smashed 69 off just 21 balls, including a record-breaking 12-ball fifty — the fastest in DPL history.

ack in 2012, KKR had also begun with back-to-back defeats before going on to win the title. But that 2012 side, featuring Jacques Kallis, Shakib Al Hasan and Gautam Gambhir, had a very different level of pedigree and experience.

This KKR side, by contrast, has been riddled with concerns. As if injury issues were not enough, they are also struggling with their combination, with Cameron Green’s inability to bowl hurting the balance of the XI. 

Well, if you are anxious, we're here with the latest weather report. 

At the moment, it's clear in Kolkata. But, there are chances of frequent showers during the match's duration. On the eve of the match, training was affected due to constant rain. The pitch had been under covers overnight. It must be a fun game, if it goes ahead. 

According to BBC's weather forecast, there are chances of light rain throughout the evening. 

After action-packed twin double headers, the IPL action resumes on Monday. And it has all the makings of another thriller, weather permitting. Kolkata Knight Riders host Punjab Kings in their third match of the season. The hosts, led by Ajinkya Rahane, are looking to get off the mark after back-to-back losses.

On the other hand, Punjab Kings are in the top half of the points table with two wins in as many matches. 

It's also Shreyas Iyer's return to Eden, where he led the Knight Riders to their third IPL title.