Sunil Narine has snared 193 wickets and scored 1,792 runs for KKR.
After back-to-back defeats to begin the IPL 2026, the Kolkata Knight Riders are keen to make a strong comeback in the KKR vs PBKS fixture. But unfortunately, the team will miss their ace all-rounder Sunil Narine in the high-octane clash at home.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (WK), Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Navdeep Saini, Vaibhav Arora, and Kartik Tyagi.
Punjab Kings: Shreyas Iyer (C), Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Cooper Connolly, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, and Yuzvendra Chahal.
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Skipper Ajinkya Rahane has revealed at the toss that the star Caribbean player is sick and could not take the field for the KKR vs PBKS game. The absence of Narine would be a major blow for the side. Moreover, considering their relatively poor bowling unit of the IPL 2026, it would be tougher for the hosts to defend their total in a high-scoring ground like the Eden Gardens Stadium.
The 37-year-old looked set to play his usual, fierce cameo in the last match. Coming in at No.8, Narine had smacked two maximums but was dismissed soon while chasing a massive 227-run target against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). But Narine’s economical bowling will be the biggest aspect where the team is set to be troubled in front of a formidable Punjab Kings batting order.
The previous edition’s runners-up have also kicked off the IPL 2026 with a similar momentum, winning both of their initial fixtures so far. While their tournament opener was entirely a Cooper Connolly show, the latest PBKS match witnessed a blazing display from opener Priyansh Arya, followed by captain Shreyas Iyer’s pulsating half-century. Amidst this, the three-time champions would heavily rely on Anukul Roy for a few key scalps. He has snared one wicket so far at an economy rate of 9.78.
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