The start of the 57th match of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was delayed due to a wet outfield. After a wasted hour and fifteen minutes at the start of the contest, fans on both sides were left shocked to see Romario Shepherd and Varun Chakravarthy left out of the respective playing XIs.
RCB vs KKR: Toss Update
The coin toss went in RCB's favor as visiting captain Ajinkya Rahane called it wrong at the time of the toss. RCB decided to bowl first. RCB captain Rajat Patidar explained that chasing would be relatively easy at the venue, and given that there was a possibility of rain later in the match, they wanted to chase to have a better idea of a tied score in case the DLS rule was implemented.
RCB vs KKR: Chakraborty out due to injury, Shepherd out.
While the decision to keep Chakravarthy out of the game was a forced one for KKR, Shepherd was dropped by RCB and called in Venkatesh Iyer. Jacob Duffy also returns for RCB, while Devdutt Padikkal will be used as an impact player in the second innings. Chakraborty will not be seen participating as he is injured. Vidarbha bowler Saurabh Dubey has been taken in his place.
RCB vs KKR: What did the captains say?
Rajat Patidar, RCB captain,
“Obviously, we will bowl first. I think it is the same wicket as we played the last match, so I think it will behave in the same way. And it should also be quite a good, hard surface, but we will try to put them under pressure while chasing. (The color of the surface looks a little darker.) I don't think so. As I see it, both the wickets are quite similar and should have different bounces, but let's see how it goes. It happens.
I think it (vs MI) was a tough match, but I think it was a good game for us to stay in the game, and everyone has got a lot of confidence after the way we played the last game. It was a tough game, but everyone is looking good and looking forward to it. Every game is important. You know, we are not looking at the table, rather we are just focusing more on playing good cricket. Venky (Iyer) comes in place of Sheppy (Shepherd).”
Ajinkya Rahane, KKR captain,
“We also wanted to bowl first. (Is there a chance for the playoffs?) Absolutely, yes. I mean, the last four games have been really good for us as a team. Everybody started performing really well. For us, sometimes the game asks you to keep things really simple. For us, it's about taking one game at a time, keeping it really simple. And then, like I said, it's about respecting the opponents and making those little It's about winning the moments. So, just really looking forward to the game.
(Improving on the side?) I think, maybe it's just a belief. Like I said, we started winning those little moments. This format is about the same. An over here and there can change the game. I thought as a bowling unit we were bowling really well. But, you know, it's really important to win those little moments in this format. Every game is really important. Unfortunately, Varun Chakravarthy was ruled out due to a minor injury. Saurabh Dubey has come in his place.”
RCB vs KKR: Playing XI
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Jacob Bethel, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (captain), Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Tim David, Venkatesh Iyer, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salaam Dar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood.
Impact Options: Devdutt Padikkal, Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, Romario Shepherd, Swapnil Singh
Kolkata Knight Riders
Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wicketkeeper), Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi.
Impact Options: Saurabh Dubey, Ramandeep Singh, Tejasvi Dahiya, Navdeep Saini, Tim Seifert
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