Focus on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi again as under-fire KKR host RR:Having beaten Rajasthan 2 times last year, can Kolkata finally get a win?

A winless Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will hope for a turnaround when they take on the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in match 28 of IPL 2026 on Sunday, 19 April. The match will be played at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata and will start at 7:30 PM IST. Both teams have had quite the contrasting campaigns so far in IPL 2026. RR have had a fiery start, winning four games on the trot before being stunned by the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Hyderabad. KKR, on the other hand, have had a horrid time and they remain desperate for a maiden win. But the task would be far from easy, as the Rajasthan Royals would be more than eager to bounce back after a 57-run defeat to the Sunrisers Hyderabad. KKR on the other hand, would look to regroup and put up a decent show against the inaugural IPL winners. KKR vs RR, IPL 2026, Match Details Match info: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, match 28 Date Time: 19 April 2026, 3:30 PM IST (Toss at 3:00 PM) Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata How to watch: JioHotstar Star Sports How to follow: Follow the live coverage on the Bhaskar English App KKR vs RR, head-to-head record Kolkata and Rajasthan have met 32 times in the IPL, with KKR winning 16 matches and RR 14, while 2 games had no result. KKR’s highest score is 223 and lowest 125, while RR’s best is 224 and lowest 81, making their contests closely fought and exciting. Interestingly, KKR had defeated the Rajasthan Royals both times last season. The first of their matches in IPL 2025 was in Guwahati, where Quinton de Kock’s 97* helped the Knights emerge victorious. In the reverse fixture, KKR once again came out on top, this time by just one run in a match that saw Riyan Parag smash six sixes off six consecutive deliveries. KKR look to Raghuvanshi, Arora for inspiration For Kolkata, Angkrish Raghuvanshi has scored 190 runs in six matches with a strike rate of 157.02. He had also slammed two half-centuries in this season so far. Pacer, Vaibhav Arora, has taken seven wickets in six matches and has conceded runs with an economy of 11.35. These two youngsters are now the last hope of ray for the three-time champions after losing five consecutive games under the captaincy of Ajinkya Rahane.
Sooryavanshi, Bishnoi lead Rajasthan from the front 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavasnhi is ruling the season like a boss with his bat. He has scored 200 runs with a strike rate of 263.15 in five matches. With two half-centuries in this season, his highest score is 78 runs against the Mumbai Indians. However, in-form Ravi Bishnoi has rattled opponents’ batting lineup as he has bagged 9 wickets in five matches. He has conceded runs with an economy of 9.31. Ajinkya Rahane boasts 150 strike rate against Ravi Bishnoi KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane has a strike rate of 150 against the in-form Ravi Bishnoi in IPL. He had faced eight balls and scored 12 runs against the leg-spinner. Bishnoi has never dismissed Rahane in the past. He had conceded runs with an economy of 9.00. Balanced battle between Yashasvi Jaiswal Sunil Narine Yashasvi Jaiswal has faced eight balls from Sunil Narine. However, he had scored 11 runs at a strike rate of 137.50. Meanwhile, Narine has conceded runs with an economy of 8.25 against the explosive opener. It will be interesting to see how the 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi fares against someone like Narine. Eden Gardens pitch report Eden Gardens in Kolkata has become known as a batting-friendly pitch in recent IPL seasons, often witnessing high-scoring matches. The surface is flat, helping batters play freely, while the fast outfield ensures quick runs. Bowlers get slight early movement, but it fades soon, and spinners find little help. In IPL 2026, the venue has already seen a high-scoring game, suggesting another run-heavy contest is likely. Kolkata weather report On Sunday afternoon, the weather is expected to be clear for this match and there is no forecast of rain. The temperature for this match will hover between 34-38 degrees Celsius. The atmosphere is expected to be 63% humid with a dew point of 26 degrees in Kolkata.