Sunil Narine did not participate in KKR's last match against the Punjab Kings.
The three-time winners, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), have found them in major trouble due to the increasing player availability issues in their IPL 2026 squad. Amidst this, ‘Will Sunil Narine play in the KKR vs LSG match’ is one of the most searched queries on the internet.
In their latest rain-marred clash against the Punjab Kings (PBKS), the team was set to miss two of their ace spinners, Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. However, their absence could not cause much harm to the hosts, as KKR earned their maiden point on the board after the match was abandoned.
During the previous fixture’s toss, KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane had mentioned that the Caribbean all-rounder was unwell, as he could not take part in the home clash against PBKS. However, as per an ESPN Cricinfo report, Narine was suffering from an abdominal issue. But the 37-year-old was seen to be back in action in the nets on Tuesday and is expected to feature in tomorrow’s KKR vs LSG game at the Eden Gardens Stadium.
Notably, the veteran all-rounder is yet to produce an impactful show with any of his skills in KKR’s initial two matches of the IPL 2026 so far. After dismissing Tilak Varma while facing the Mumbai Indians (MI), he managed only two sixes and went wicketless against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the following match.
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Earlier, injury blows to Harshit Rana, Matheesha Pathirana, and Akash Deep Singh had already weakened their pace attack for the edition. After sustaining a hamstring injury during the T20 World Cup 2026, the star Sri Lankan seamer is yet to get an NOC from their national board and join the squad for the remaining fixtures.
Moreover, their marquee signing Cameron Green’s availability as a batter due to managing his workload has further increased the headaches for KKR. While Narine is set to return to their starting XI for the next match, another key bowler, Varun, is yet to recover from his left-hand injury that he suffered on April 2.
With two losses and one washout, the team will look to turn things around soon to keep their IPL 2026 playoff hopes alive. Considering the availability issues as well as a few rough patches of form for a few players, KKR might also consider bringing in some key tweaks in their combination in the upcoming games.
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