09 April,2026 09:44 AM IST | Kolkata | Arup Chatterjee
Ajinkya Rahane and Rishabh Pant
Ajinkya Rahane & Co cannot be blamed if they think Monday's âno result' at the Eden Gardens was a good thing. In desperate need of a win, the Kolkata Knight Riders were a precarious 25 for 2 in the fourth over against the high-performing Punjab Kings when rain butted in, and the Knights were able to find their first point in IPL-19.
KKR have to get their act together quickly as Lucknow Super Giants, flush from Sunday's emphatic win in Hyderabad, come calling for a joust on Thursday. It doesn't help that Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, who have been at the core of KKR plans over the years, were missing from the playing XI against Punjab. At the toss, Rahane had informed that Chakravarthy was out because of "injury" while Narine was "unwell."
Narine, who had "abdominal pain," came out to practice on Wednesday as did Chakravarthy, but it's still unclear whether they are match fit.
Bengal pacer Mohammad Shami, who had sent back Sunrisers openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, will hunt on his âhome' turf this time. Rahane, Finn Allen and Cameron Green, KKR's struggling top three, will have their jobs cut out.
LSG's spin-bowling coach Carl Crowe revealed how the 35-year-old worked on a new delivery with fast-bowling coach Bharat Arun. "The fact that in four days they learned that new skill and delivered the ball to get Abhishek out is testament to not only Bharat's coaching but also Shami's mindset," Crowe gushed.
It's the bowling that will worry KKR the most. India bowler Navdeep Saini, a replacement for Harshit Rana, looks all set to make his KKR debut, but his last IPL match was in 2023.
"We had prepared for such possibilities [in the build-up to the season], so we are still in a positive frame of mind," said 25-year-old pacer Kartik Tyagi.
Australian all-rounder Cameron Green may finally be seen bowling for KKR, reports PTI. He sent down a few overs during Tuesday's training session before it was cut short by rain.
