Last updated: 14 April 2026
Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2026 Betting Guide
Season opens 29 Mar · Eden Gardens, Kolkata · Captain: Ajinkya Rahane · Coach: Abhishek Nayar
High variance Pathirana and Harshit Rana injured No matches played yet
IPL titles
3
2012, 2014, 2024
2025 finish
8th
5W from 14, no playoffs
Record signing
25.2cr
Cameron Green (record overseas buy)
2025 top scorer
Rahane
390 runs, SR 147.72
Predicted XI IPL 2026
| # | Player | Role | Nat. | Batting strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finn Allen | WK-Bat | NZ | |
| 2 | Ajinkya Rahane (c) | Batter | IND | |
| 3 | Cameron Green | All-rounder | AUS | |
| 4 | Angkrish Raghuvanshi | Batter | IND | |
| 5 | Rinku Singh | Batter | IND | |
| 6 | Ramandeep Singh | All-rounder | IND | |
| 7 | Sunil Narine | All-rounder | WI | |
| 8 | Vaibhav Arora | Bowler | IND | |
| 9 | Varun Chakravarthy | Bowler | IND | |
| 10 | Blessing Muzarabani | Bowler | ZIM | |
| 11 | Umran Malik | Bowler | IND |
Key squad changes for 2026
| Player | Status | Role | Betting relevance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Green | Auction 25.2cr record | All-rounder | Most expensive overseas player in IPL history. Signed to fill the Andre Russell-sized hole in KKR’s batting and bowling. 707 IPL runs in 29 matches at SR 150+. The pressure of the record price is significant. |
| Finn Allen | Auction 2cr | WK-Bat | Extraordinary value signing. T20 World Cup semifinal century (33 balls) for NZ. Brings the explosive powerplay energy KKR desperately needed after their 2025 opener failures. |
| Matheesha Pathirana | Signed 18cr injured | Fast bowler | KKR’s second-largest buy. Suffered a serious injury at the T20 World Cup. His availability is uncertain. KKR spent 18cr on a player who may not feature. Muzarabani replaces him. |
| Andre Russell | Retired from IPL | All-rounder | KKR’s most impactful player for over a decade has retired. Green is the replacement but no player in T20 cricket replicates what Russell provided. This is an unquantifiable loss. |
| Andre Russell | Now power coach | Support staff | Russell has joined KKR’s coaching staff as power coach. His presence in the dressing room is still felt the knowledge transfer to Green and Rinku could be significant. |
Phase 1 fixtures IPL 2026 (season not yet started)
| Date | Opponent | Venue | H/A | Betting note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29 | Mumbai Indians | Mumbai | Away | Opening match at Wankhede vs MI. Away game with Pathirana and Harshit absent. MI are heavy favourites. Fade KKR at long odds. Look for runs markets and individual props over match winner. |
| Apr 2 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Kolkata | Home | KKR’s home opener vs SRH. Eden Gardens can assist spin Varun Chakravarthy is dangerous here. SRH without Cummins. KKR have the home edge in this match. Value backing KKR. |
| Apr 6 | Punjab Kings | Kolkata | Home | Second home game. PBKS have quality but KKR at Eden Gardens with Narine as Impact Player and Chakravarthy are difficult to handle for any batting lineup. Back KKR at home. |
| Apr 9 | Lucknow Super Giants | Kolkata | Home | Third consecutive home game. KKR have historically strong Eden Gardens record. LSG’s pace attack could exploit KKR’s batting vulnerabilities. Even money at best assess the odds carefully. |
Team department ratings heading into IPL 2026
| Department | Rating | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Top-order batting | Finn Allen after a breakout T20 World Cup (33-ball century in the semifinal) plus Green at three is a major upgrade on KKR’s 2025 top order. Rahane’s T20 strike rate remains under scrutiny at the top, though his 2025 returns were reasonable. | |
| Middle-order finishing | Without Russell, KKR have no proven match-winner at the death. Rinku Singh is dangerous in specific situations but is not a consistent replacement. Green may bat lower. Multiple analysts have flagged this as KKR’s biggest structural concern in 2026. | |
| Spin bowling | Varun Chakravarthy and Narine is one of the best spin pairings in the competition, especially at Eden Gardens. Chakravarthy’s mystery spin and Narine’s off-spin variety make this unit elite on suitable surfaces. | |
| Pace bowling (full strength) | Pathirana at full fitness plus Muzarabani and Vaibhav Arora gives KKR genuine pace depth. The question is whether Pathirana is available at all given his T20 World Cup injury. | |
| Pace bowling (Pathirana absent) | With Pathirana and Harshit Rana unavailable, KKR’s pace relies on Muzarabani, Arora, and Umran Malik. This is substantially below what they paid for and planned around heading into the season. |
Bull case for KKR in 2026
KKR’s spin duo of Chakravarthy and Narine is among the most dangerous in the competition at their home ground. Eden Gardens is a natural fortress for mystery spin. Finn Allen’s T20 World Cup form suggests a player who has finally arrived at his potential. If Green delivers on the record price and plays the Russell role effectively, KKR have enough to reach the playoffs. Three consecutive home games in Phase 1 is their best opportunity to build early points momentum.
Core risk factors
KKR finished eighth in 2025 and are coming into the season with two of their major investments unavailable: Pathirana (injured at T20 World Cup, 18cr buy) and Harshit Rana (also injured). Andre Russell’s retirement from the IPL removes the most match-defining player in KKR’s recent history and no individual truly replaces him. Multiple analysts predict KKR will struggle to qualify for the playoffs. Their bowling without Pathirana lacks a genuine powerplay match-winner. Away from Eden Gardens, KKR are consistently fragile.
Historical record
| Season | Finish | W-L | Win % | Key betting insight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Champions | 9-5 | 64% | Title-winning season. Russell, Narine, and Starc were the spine. All three are now gone (Russell retired, Starc released, Narine retained). The 2024 title-winning squad no longer exists. |
| 2025 | 8th (no playoffs) | 5-9 | 36% | Post-title hangover. Overpriced at the start of the season. Strong fade value once the pattern became clear. |
Core betting angles for IPL 2026
Back KKR at Eden Gardens
Eden Gardens is made for Chakravarthy and Narine’s mystery spin. Their Phase 1 schedule gives them three consecutive home games. KKR’s spin duo can single-handedly win matches on this surface. Back them at home, especially vs sides with limited spin exposure.
✔ Back: KKR match winner at Eden Gardens home games
Chakravarthy wickets prop
Varun Chakravarthy is KKR’s most reliable match-winning bowler. His mystery variations on surfaces with some assistance are devastating. KKR’s joint-highest wicket-taker in 2025. His 2-plus wickets markets at Eden Gardens and spin-friendly venues are the single best individual prop KKR offer.
✔ Back: Chakravarthy 2-plus wickets at Eden Gardens and spin tracks
Fade KKR away from home
KKR’s bowling without Pathirana is significantly weaker away from their home surface conditions. Their batting without a genuine Russell-replacement finisher is also exposed on batting pitches away from Kolkata. Fade KKR at anything below 2.0 in away matches.
✗ Fade: KKR at short odds for away games, especially early season
Green as long-season value
At 25.2cr, Green carries enormous pressure. Early-season markets may overreact to initial underwhelming performances. Mid-season, when he finds form, his batting and bowling props are likely underpriced relative to his talent. The long-term value play is patient backing as the season progresses.
✔ Back: Green all-rounder markets once he finds form mid-season
Finn Allen powerplay runs
Allen’s T20 World Cup semifinal century (33 balls) announced him as one of the most explosive openers in T20 cricket. KKR’s powerplay runs markets are strong when Allen is playing and in form. His ceiling-based batting props (top KKR batter, 50-plus) have excellent upside.
✔ Back: Allen top KKR batter, powerplay runs and 50-plus markets
Outright: cautious on playoff odds
Multiple analyst predictions place KKR outside the top four. Aakash Chopra, R Ashwin, and others have expressed pessimism about their bowling. Do not back KKR at competitive outright odds to win the title or reach the playoffs based on their 2024 title reputation.
✗ Fade: KKR outright title or playoff markets at short odds
Players to back
Varun Chakravarthy
Mystery spinner · Middle overs
KKR’s most reliable match-winning bowler. Joint top wicket-taker in 2025 (17 wickets). His mystery spin variations from over and around the wicket bamboozle batters, especially those unfamiliar with his action. Eden Gardens is where he is at his most dangerous. The clearest individual prop in KKR’s squad.
✔ Back: top KKR bowler, 2-plus wickets at Eden Gardens
Finn Allen
Opening WK-Bat · IPL debut season
Signed for just 2cr despite a breakout T20 World Cup. His 33-ball century in the semifinal against South Africa at Eden Gardens (his future home ground) was one of the tournament’s defining moments. Extraordinary value. Top KKR batter and powerplay runs markets are strong for his debut IPL season.
✔ Back: top KKR batter, powerplay runs, 50-plus in high-scoring games
Rinku Singh
Middle-order finisher · Vice-captain
One of T20 cricket’s most famous last-over match-winners. His five successive sixes off GT in 2023 encapsulated what he offers. As vice-captain he carries additional responsibility in 2026. When KKR are chasing with 40-plus needed from the last four overs, Rinku anytime 30-plus markets are situationally strong.
✔ Back situationally: Rinku anytime 30-plus in close chases
Cameron Green
All-rounder · Russell replacement
707 IPL runs at SR 150-plus in 29 matches across prior seasons. 16 wickets with useful pace in the death overs. Green’s all-rounder markets combining both bat and ball contributions are the best representation of his value. Back him from mid-season once he settles into the role and the team finds its best combination around him.
✔ Back mid-season: Green all-rounder markets once settled in role
Player to approach with caution
Matheesha Pathirana
Fast bowler · Availability uncertain
KKR paid 18cr for Pathirana but he suffered a serious injury during the T20 World Cup in February 2026. He has not played competitive cricket since and his availability for IPL 2026 is genuinely uncertain. Blessing Muzarabani has been signed as a replacement. Do not factor Pathirana into any KKR bowling markets until his availability is officially confirmed.
✗ Fade: KKR bowling markets that assume Pathirana is available
In-season update: 14 April 2026
Current form: 0W-3L (1 NR), 1 pt (10th, NRR -1.315)
KKR have had an extremely difficult start, sitting bottom with one point from four games. Cameron Green was unable to bowl in their first two defeats due to a lower-back injury managed by Cricket Australia. He scored only 24 runs from three innings and is under pressure from Kevin Pietersen and Aaron Finch publicly questioning his position. He was cleared to bowl from the April 9 LSG match, but KKR lost that game too. Pathirana still has no confirmed NOC. Narine and Chakravarthy both missed a game through illness and injury respectively. Shah Rukh Khan was photographed in an intense conversation with CEO Venky Mysore. The advice to fade KKR outright odds has been entirely validated. A CSK vs KKR home match on April 14 (today) is their next opportunity.
