KKR bowlers have conceded 60.5 runs on average per wicket in the first 36 balls—the worst for any team in IPL 2026. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI

If performance were currency in the Indian Premier League, third-placed Rajasthan Royals (RR) would have its wallet full while bottom-feeding Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) would be left searching under the couch cushions.

Notwithstanding the minor blip in its last game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, RR seems to have cracked the Twenty20 code, but Ajinkya Rahane and Co. have made losing look alarmingly routine.

As the schedule throws them together in the sultry afternoon conditions of the Eden Gardens here on Sunday, it is time to find out whether creative faculty does indeed trump desperation.

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Kumar Sangakkara, RR’s head coach and director of cricket, hasn’t dropped guard despite the opponent’s winless form guide reading like a cry for help after six games. He said, “They’re a very tough and good side. But it’s about concentrating on what we do well. And then trying to do that over the course of 240 balls. We don’t take any side easy. Records don’t matter for anything when you play head-to-head.”

Statistics would say Sangakkara is being too generous. The PowerPlay, in fact, may end up dictating proceedings. For RR, thanks to electric starts from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, has the highest boundary percentage in the first six overs at 34.44. KKR batters have done only marginally better than Lucknow Super Giants (19.44) and Delhi Capitals (22.60) with 23.76.

Sooryavanshi, in particular, has been a real handful for opposition bowlers. Despite having a dominant bottom hand and a relatively high back-lift, the 15-year-old has offered little in terms of exploitable weaknesses.

Bowling a disciplined line early, therefore, remains one of the few ways to curb the RR opener’s scoring opportunities. KKR pacers Vaibhav Arora and Kartik Tyagi could, in fact, take a cue from Praful Hinge of SRH, who dismissed Sooryavanshi for a golden duck in the previous game with a well-directed surprise short ball.

Meanwhile, in the purple corner, New Zealand’s Finn Allen, renowned for his belligerent top-order strokeplay, has looked a shadow of his usual self, averaging a modest 16.20. His dot-ball percentage of 47.6—a cardinal sin for any T20 opener—underlines his struggles. Tim Seifert, who replaced his compatriot in the XI in the last game, hasn’t fared any better.

Adding salt to its wounds are KKR’s bowlers. They have conceded 60.5 runs on average per wicket in the first 36 balls—the worst for any team. Meanwhile, no team has fared better than RR’s 20.69 in this regard.

Varun Chakaravarthy, in particular, seems to have lost his edge. His average of 69.50 is the worst among spinners with at least four matches this season. His economy rate has ballooned to 10.69. It even took him 61 balls to claim his first wicket this season.

Against that backdrop, Rahane’s decision to deploy him in the PowerPlay or immediately after it without favourable match-ups on offer hasn’t been sitting well with many. Chakaravarthy is far better suited to the late middle overs, where relaxed field restrictions allow captains to set attacking fields and fully leverage his mystery variations.

With how the season has turned out, the host would be thanking its stars it didn’t have to face the media on Saturday. The team touched down at 5:10pm after another humiliating defeat against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad the previous night.

Published on Apr 18, 2026