Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) They were forced to make a significant change ipl 2026 struggle against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) As a mystery spinner Varun Chakraborty Was left. The high-stakes encounter, the 15th match of the season, is being played at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, with KKR still searching for their first win of the campaign.
KKR’s struggle continues amid important changes in the team
led by Ajinkya RahaneKKR enter the competition under pressure after a disappointing start to IPL 2026. The franchise has had a tough performance so far, losing their opening two matches, while their third match was washed out due to rain. With only one point in the table, this game against LSG holds vital importance to carry their momentum forward.
LSG captain at the time of toss Rishabh Pant Opted to field first, to take advantage of any early help from the surface. While Lucknow Super Giants retained the same playing XI, KKR made a notable change by bringing back Sunil Narine in favor of.
Why is Varun Chakraborty not playing today’s match?
During the toss, Rahane explained the reason for excluding Chakraborty. The KKR captain revealed that the spinner is still recovering from the hand injury he sustained during the tournament. According to Rahane, Chakraborty suffered the injury while attempting to take a catch during KKR’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 2. Although the spinner resumed light bowling during the training session before this match, he has not fully recovered yet.
Rahane said Chakraborty’s hand was still heavily taped and he had not received medical clearance to participate in a competitive match. Therefore, the team management decided not to risk aggravating the injury at this stage of the tournament.
“Just one change – Sunil comes in for Ashirwad, Varun is still recovering from his hand injury,” Rahane confirmed at the time of the toss.
Playing XI of both the teams
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wicketkeeper), Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Navdeep Saini, Kartik Tyagi.
Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant (captain and wicketkeeper), Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Mukul Chaudhary, Manimaran Siddharth, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Prince Yadav.
Also read: IPL 2026: BCCI implements new area restrictions for non-playing members during matches