From Struggles to Tears: Kolkata Knight Riders’ Dressing Room Overflows After First IPL 2026 Win

Kolkata Knight Riders secured their first IPL 2026 win, beating Rajasthan Royals in a thrilling chase at Eden Gardens. Rinku Singh’s crucial fifty and Ankul Roy’s support guided KKR to a four-wicket victory, ending their six-match winless streak. The win brought huge emotional relief to the squad, as revealed by Varun Chakravarthy's statement.

After early struggles in the IPL 2026, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel as they earned their first win of the season by defeating Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata on Sunday, April 19.

KKR, led by Ajinkya Rahane, defeated the Riyan Parag-led RR by four wickets with two balls to spare in a thrilling chase. With a 156-run target, the hosts chased it down in 19.4 overs. Rinku Singh’s knock of 53 off 34 balls and an unbeaten 76-run stand for the seventh wicket with Ankul Roy (29 off 16 balls) turned the game on its head, rescuing Kolkata Knight Riders from a precarious situation to seal a victory over the Rajasthan Royals.

For RR, Ravindra Jadeja led the bowling attack with figures of 2/8 at an economy rate of 2.70 in a spell of four overs. Jofra Archer (1/35), Nandre Burger (1/20), Yash Raj Punia (1/20), and Ravi Bishnoi (1/41) also chipped in with a wicket each. Still, their efforts weren’t enough as Kolkata Knight Riders held their nerve in the final overs to outplay Rajasthan Royals in a tense finish.

Emotional Win for KKR

The Ajinkya Rahane-led KKR was at the centre of criticism and trolling for their poor run of form in the early stages of the IPL 2026, as they were the only team yet to win a match. The six-match winless streak, including no result against the Punjab Kings, earned them just one point, leaving the Kolkata Knight Riders rooted at the bottom of the points table.

However, the much-needed victory over the Rajasthan Royals finally lifted the pressure off KKR, marking a potential turning point in their IPL 2026 campaign. The mystery Varun Chakravarthy revealed that there were emotional scenes in the dressing room, as he saw his teammates in tears when the long-awaited result brought immense relief to the team.

“Very, very significant. I can tell you I saw many tears in the dressing room today, which we didn’t even see in the year we won the IPL in 2024," Chakravarthy said at the post-match press conference.

“The main credit goes to the coaching staff because they didn’t let the outside noise affect us. There were too many people making judgments that were totally baseless,” he added.

Kolkata Knight Riders’ six-match winless streak was marked by bowling and batting inconsistencies, especially that of the Australian all-rounder Cameron Green’s poor form, which added to the team’s early-season struggles in IPL 2026.

Chakravarthy Hails ‘Couragous Coaches’

Further speaking on KKR’s first win of the season, Varun Chakarvarthy stated that the injuries hurt the team early, but strong team unity helped them stay together through tough IPL 2026 struggles. Chakravarthy credited the coaches, especially head coach Abhishek Nayar, for their courage and for keeping the team motivated during the difficult phase.

“At such times, you need a strong core, and we have that. We started this tournament with many injuries, and it actually crippled us even before it began,” the KKR spinner said.

“So I would like to give credit to the coaches, especially Abhishek Nayar. If you’re taking up a team in such conditions, you need a lot of courage. He has taken up the team in a very tough situation. Slowly, step by step, one win here, one win there, we will be back on track,” he concluded.

The absence of Harshit Rana, Akash Deep, and Matheesha Pathirana in the early phase of the season further weakened KKR’s bowling attack, forcing the team to constantly shuffle combinations and struggle for consistency in the IPL 2026 campaign.

With the first win of the win, Kolkata Knight Riders will look to win the remainder of the campaign in order to have realistic chances of making it to the playoffs.