Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Delhi Capitals (DC) will face each other in the last game of the round-robin stage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Eden Gardens on Sunday, May 24.
If Rajasthan Royals lose the afternoon game against Mumbai Indians on the same day, this evening game will have a big impact on the playoffs. Royals' defeat will leave them with 14 points from 14 matches.
KKR already have 13 points in the bank, and a win would be enough for them to reach the playoffs, unless Punjab Kings win their last game. If Punjab Kings wins on Saturday, they will have 15 points with a better net run rate than KKR, who will then have to win by a bigger margin. If both Punjab and Rajasthan lose their respective matches and the Axar Patel-led team wins comprehensively, then Delhi Capitals will come into the fray.
Potential impact players for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR):
Finn Allen: Finn Allen has been in tremendous form since returning to the team five games ago. He will try to give his team a great start.
Vaibhav Arora: Vaibhav Arora was given many chances to showcase his ability, but the right-arm fast bowler had a very poor performance before losing his place in the team.
Ramandeep Singh:Ramandeep Singh's story in IPL 2026 is similar to Arora. A former regular player who lost his place after poor performances at the start of the campaign.
Rahul Tripathi: While Tejasvi Dahiya came in as a concussion substitute in the last game in place of Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who has been ruled out of the tournament on Sunday, Rahul Tripathi may get a chance, especially if KKR are still in the race for a playoff spot, as his experience could prove crucial.
Prashant Solanki: Prashant Solanki is a talented young leg spinner who previously represented Chennai Super Kings. He has not played a single match in IPL 2026 so far.
Potential impact players for Delhi Capitals (DC):
Ashutosh Sharma: DC's designated Impact Sub player, Ashutosh Sharma has scored 153 runs at a strike-rate of 184.34 while chasing the total.
Vipraraj Nigam: A spin-bowling all-rounder, Vipraj Nigam has played five times this season but has contributed only two wickets and 15 runs. If the pitch is helpful for the spinners like the last match, then Nigam can make a comeback in the team.
Sameer Rizvi: Sameer Rizvi had a great start to the season. He has scored 252 runs in 11 matches at an average of 147.36 this season.
Pathum Nissanka: Pathum Nissanka had a tough and tough experience in his first IPL stint. Not being able to convert starts into big scores became a problem for him.
Karun Nair: Karun Nair was given some chances at the top of the order, but he could not capitalize on them. His fielding was also poor as he dropped some catches and the Capitals had to suffer the consequences.
Expert opinion and final prediction
- home advantage: Five matches have been completed at Eden Gardens this season and KKR have won the last three.
- recent form: KKR has won the last three matches between these two teams. The head-to-head score in the last five matches is 3-2 in favor of the Knights.
- balanced side: DC have a slightly more balanced team compared to KKR, as the playoffs are attracting them. However, the players have not performed well as a unit.
- Prediction: Keeping these factors in mind, a close game with Kolkata Knight Riders is expected to end the group stage with a win.
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