IPL 2026: RR win toss, choose to bat first against KKR
Kolkata, April 19
Rajasthan Royals won the toss and opted to bat first against Kolkata Knight Riders in their Indian Premier League 2026 match on Sunday at the Eden Gardens.
After winning the toss, RR captain Riyan Parag said they will bat first on what to him looks like a dry pitch that may offer some turn initially and stay similar throughout the match. He emphasised setting the tone early, learning from their previous game, and improving performance. He also confirmed that Shimron Hetmyer and Brijesh Sharma have returned to the playing 11.
"We're batting first. Looks like a pretty dry wicket; the grass was cut yesterday. It could turn in the first innings and remain the same later on. Let's set the tone at the start: our focus is on doing better, last match was a learning phase, we need to take it into the games. hetmyer and Brijesh are back."
The Knights are still in search of their first win in IPL 2026 and are the only team yet to register a victory this season. They have lost five of their six matches, with one game ending in a no-result due to rain. They head into this fixture after a five-wicket loss to the Gujarat Titans.
The Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, will be aiming to bounce back after their first defeat of the season, which came against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their previous match. They are currently placed third in the standings, with four wins and one loss so far.
RR vs KKR IPL 2026 playing 11s:
Rajasthan Royals: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi.
Rajasthan Royals Impact Subs: Sandeep Sharma, Shubham Dubey, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Ravi Singh, Yash Punja
Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane(c), Tim Seifert(w), Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Kolkata Knight Riders Impact Subs: Manish Pandey, Finn Allen, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Tejasvi Singh, Navdeep Saini.
— ANI
Reader Comments
KKR's situation is so sad yaar. Only team without a win? With players like Narine and Rinku Singh, they should be doing much better. The management needs to sort out their strategy fast.
RR's batting lineup looks solid on paper. Jaiswal, Jurel, Parag, Hetmyer... firepower all the way down. But they need to be careful against Narine and Varun C on a turning track. Should be a good contest!
Interesting to see Cameron Green playing for KKR now! The IPL auction dynamics are wild. Hoping for a close game, but RR seems to have the clear upper hand given current form.
As a neutral fan, I just want to see a good match. But honestly, KKR needs to win for the sake of the tournament's excitement. A one-sided league is boring for everyone.
Respectfully, I think RR is being a bit overconfident. Batting first on a dry track that might turn? If KKR's spinners get going early, they could be in trouble. Should have bowled first to use the conditions. Just my two paise.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.