IPL 2026: Kolkata Knight Riders Face Lucknow Super Giants Amid Rain Threat

Kolkata. The Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants is scheduled for today. The game is set to begin at 7:45 PM at Kolkata's home ground, Eden Gardens. However, there is a 90 percent chance of rain in Kolkata today.

This will be Kolkata's fourth match of the season. The team has lost 2 out of its 3 matches so far. Their previous game against Punjab Kings was abandoned due to rain. Meanwhile, Lucknow has faced one win and one loss in their last two matches.

• Lucknow's 4 wins against Kolkata

A total of 6 matches have been played between Kolkata and Lucknow so far. Lucknow has won 4 games, while Kolkata has secured 2 victories. 

The two teams met once last season, with Lucknow emerging victorious. Lucknow has also dominated the 3 matches played in Kolkata, winning 2 while Kolkata managed only 1 win.

• Angkrish Raghuvanshi scores two half-centuries

Kolkata's standout performers this season include Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Blessing Muzarabani. Angkrish has scored 110 runs in 3 matches at a strike rate of 169.23, including two half-centuries. 

Similarly, Muzarabani has taken 4 wickets in 2 matches. His best performance is 4/41, although his economy rate stands at 10.71.

Rishabh Pant is Lucknow's top scorer

Key performers for Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2026 include captain Rishabh Pant, Aiden Markram, Abdul Samad, and Mitchell Marsh, who have all batted exceptionally well. In bowling, Prince Yadav leads the charts.

Players to watch

• Vaibhav Arora

Vaibhav Arora had an excellent debut season while helping Kolkata win the title in IPL 2024. He performed even better in IPL 2025, becoming the joint-highest wicket-taker for Kolkata with 17 wickets. However, his performance in IPL 2026 has been average so far. With key bowlers missing, Arora is effectively leading the pace attack, but he has taken only 3 wickets in two matches while conceding 12.37 runs per over. Kolkata needs Arora to regain his rhythm and form.

• Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami started his season by taking KL Rahul's wicket on the very first ball, and he was nearly unplayable against SRH, where he dismantled the top order. Shami has taken three wickets in two matches so far at an economy rate of 4.62. All his wickets have come in the powerplay, where he has bowled with high speed and significant movement. Returning to his home ground in Bengal, Shami will look to keep the Kolkata home crowd quiet.

• 200+ scores in both matches this season

The Eden Gardens pitch is generally expected to be batting-friendly. The surface here is flat, allowing the ball to come onto the bat well, leading to high scores. 

However, the new ball might offer slight assistance to pace bowlers early on. Spinners may also get some turn in the middle overs, especially if the pitch is slightly dry. Overall, it is considered a 'high-scoring' ground.

If it rains during the game or there is moisture on the pitch, pacers could get extra swing and seam movement, making the opening overs even more crucial. Both matches played here this season have seen scores exceeding 200.

• Rain may cause disruption

Rain could disrupt today's match in Kolkata. There is a reported 90 percent chance of rain. Additionally, the weather is expected to remain warm. Daytime temperatures could range between 33 to 36 degrees Celsius, dropping to 26-28 degrees at night.

Potential Playing-12 for both teams

• Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wicketkeeper), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Blessing Muzarabani, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakravarthy.
• Lucknow Super Giants: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (captain and wicketkeeper), Ayush Badoni, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Mukul Chaudhary, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Rathi, Prince Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Manimaran Siddharth.

Statistics 

• Mohammed Shami's economy rate in the powerplay this season is 4.00, which is the best for any bowler who has bowled a minimum of three overs.
• However, Ajinkya Rahane has an excellent record against Shami in the IPL. He has scored 94 runs against this pacer at a strike rate of 165 and has never been dismissed by him.
• Ayush Badoni has been dismissed by Sunil Narine four times in three IPL innings.
• Kolkata's powerplay run rate in IPL 2026 is 11.29; which drops to 9.30 in the middle phase.