Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are struggling badly in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2026), languishing at the bottom of the table with no wins after five games. The only point they have managed is sharing spoils when the game against Punjab Kings (PBKS) got abandoned.
Teams like Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) also made slow starts but have made tactical changes or been buoyed by the return of players to turn fortunes around. For KKR however, the players expected to perform haven’t delivered after they were already dealt with multiple injury blows before the start of the season.
With the season almost slipping out of their hands, it’s high time that the KKR management makes changes before it’s too late. In such a case, they can take inspiration from SRH’s strategy, which worked wonders for them.
KKR has faced issues in almost every department – top-order combination, middle order struggles and lack of fire in the pace department. Finn Allen has failed to be his explosive self while Tim Seifert is sitting on the bench. Rinku Singh’s struggles with the bat is affecting the middle-order, while using Sunil Narine as late as No.7 or No.8 is effectively wasting his batting credentials. Furthermore, with pacers like Harshit Rana, Akash Deep ruled out and Matheesha Pathirana yet to join squad due to injury, the fast bowling department also looks weak.
However, their biggest concern is their big-money signing Cameron Green, who has failed to live up to the price tag. His return to bowling has been below par. In the last two games against CSK and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Rahane could use Green for just two overs in each match since he leaked runs at 14 rpo and 15 rpo while managing just one wicket. His batting has also been lacklustre with scores of 18, 2, 4, 32*, 0. Thus, the decision to back him is costing the combination of the side alongside the results.
Given the plethora of issues, it is very evident that a change is impending. It would thus only be fair to give chances to players who are hungry to prove and deliver. And who better than promising domestic stars who are eager to showcase their mettle!
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Sunrisers used it and now KKR should also follow the template. For SRH, with Pat Cummins, Brydon Carse out due to injuries, they were banking on the likes of Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat. The Indian pair, however, wasn’t exactly threatening with Unadkat managing four wickets in four games while Harshal remained wicketless after playing three games.
The management hence decided to drop them in their last clash against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and handed debuts to domestic speedsters Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain. The young duo impressed on their debuts as they shared eight wickets between them – four apiece.
Like SRH, KKR also have talents like Tejasvi Dahiya and Saurabh Dubey in the ranks. Tejasvi has a reputation for his big-hitting prowess and can address the middle-order woes. Roped in for INR 3 crores at the IPL 2026 auction, he was the second-highest six-hitter in Delhi Premier League (DPL 2025) while batting at a strike rate touching 200.
On the other hand, Saurabh Dubey was secured as an injury replacement for Akash Deep. The six feet and five inches tall Vidarbha left-arm quick is another fresh leg that KKR can introduce in the pace department, which has also struggled to make breakthroughs in powerplay and trouble opposition batters.
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