Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had an evening to forget, as they were defeated by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to end their four-match winning streak at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. This was a must-win game for KKR if they wanted to keep their hopes for qualifying in the playoffs alive. However, even after the loss, there is a slim chance that the Ajinkya Rahane-led side can qualify for the final four, because mathematically it is still possible for them to do so.
How KKR Can Qualify For IPL 2026 Playoffs
KKR are currently on 9 points from 11 games, with four wins, six losses, and a point from the washed out game against Punjab Kings (PBKS) earlier in the season. It is this point that might come handy for them.
If KKR win all their remaining games of the IPL 2026 against Gujarat Titans (GT), Mumbai Indians (MI) and Delhi Capitals (DC), then they will reach 15 points at the end of the league stage. This might be enough for them to reach the final four.
On the other hand, they would have to hope that Punjab Kings (PBKS), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) do not accumulate more than 14 points at the end of the league stage. Only then can KKR reach the playoffs.
However, another loss would mean that KKR would be well and truly knocked out from the IPL 2026.
Virat Kohli Century Helps RCB Defeat KKR
In a rain-affected game in Raipur, the match was delayed by 75 minutes, but no overs were lost. It was RCB who won the toss and put KKR to bat first. They got off to a shaky start as they lost both openers Finn Allen and Ajinkya Rahane in the powerplay itself.
However, after that the three-time IPL champions stabilized their innings, with a solid 68-run stand for the third wicket between Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Cameron Green. After Green departed for 32, Rinku Singh joined in the act, and stitched a 76-run stand for the fourth wicket with Raghuvanshi. Rinku remained not out on 49.
However, the star with the bat was Raghuvanshi, who slammed 71 from 46 deliveries. KKR put a competitive total of 192/4 on the board.
Chasing 193 to win, RCB never really had any difficulty, as played yet another memorable knock guiding the defending champions to victory with 5 balls to spare. The star India batter slammed his 9th century in the IPL, as he hit 105 from 60 deliveries. He also stitched a game-changing 92-run stand for the second wicket with Devdutt Padikkal.
As RCB won by 6 wickets, they climbed to the top of the IPL 2026 points table with 16 points, and more or less sealed their spot of the IPL 2026 playoffs.