KKR’s Dramatic Turnaround Under Rahane Keeps Fans Hopeful

Following a string of defeats in its first five games in IPL 2026 and a game that was rained off, no one expected that Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders could qualify for the play-offs this year in IPL 19. The team, which had just one point after six matches in IPL 2026, is now riding high on a series of impressive victories to have a great chance of making it to the top four. Will KKR qualify for the play-offs?

In a game played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, three-time champions KKR won against Delhi Capitals comfortably by eight wickets. With this win, they now sit seventh in the points table with nine points from 10 matches, just one point behind sixth-placed Chennai Super Kings.

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Reflecting on the statistics from previous seasons, 16 or more points have been sufficient for any team to qualify for the playoffs. If KKR wins all four of its remaining matches from here, the franchise will reach a total of 17 points, which would be enough to qualify directly without worrying about net run rate. However, if they lose even one match, net run rate will play a crucial role.

The journey ahead for KKR is not going to be easy, as the four teams it faces are very strong. The Rahane-led team's next four matches are against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians, and Delhi Capitals.

RCB and Gujarat Titans are ranked above KKR in the points table, while Mumbai and Delhi are below them. KKR has a poor head-to-head record against Mumbai, and this season, the team lost to Mumbai in their home match at the Wankhede Stadium.

In the match between KKR and DC, KKR won resoundingly by eight wickets with 34 balls to spare. Thanks to Finn Allen's maiden IPL century, KKR easily achieved the target of 142 runs. Delhi Capitals looked lackluster with both bat and ball, and KKR prevailed in this match.

At one point, it looked like Delhi would post a total of over 180, but Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, and Anukul Roy reined in Delhi's run rate in the middle overs, restricting KKR to just 141/8 in 20 overs. Delhi then lost Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi cheaply, but Cameron Green and Allen put on an unbroken 116-run partnership for the third wicket to secure KKR's victory.