KKR in IPL 2026: A season of recoveries, regrets and what-ifs

KKR finished seventh on the points table, although they remained in the playoff race until the final day of the league stage, only to be knocked out after Rajasthan Royals beat Mumbai Indians.

The fact that KKR remained in contention until the final day represented a remarkable turnaround after a disastrous start. KKR went winless in their first six games, with their only point coming from a rain-hit fixture against Punjab Kings. They then won six of their last eight matches to revive their campaign, but ultimately fell just short of a place in the playoffs.

Player of the season: Angkrish Raghuvanshi

Raghuvanshi finished as KKR's leading run-scorer with 422 runs, including five fifty-plus scores, at an average of 42.20, although a strike rate of 146.52 suggests room for growth for the 21-year-old.

720, 27, 26.66 and 22.55 – KKR's runs scored, wickets lost, average and boundary percentage in the Powerplay this season. They scored the fewest runs in the phase among all teams, had the joint second-highest wicket tally against them, and finished with both the lowest average and boundary percentage.

A mini-auction pick that…

Looked a million bucks: Kartik Tyagi

Signed for just INR 30 lakh, Tyagi finished as the team's highest wicket-taker with 18 wickets at 27.66, including a best of 3 for 22.

Didn't work out: Matheesha Pathirana

The INR 18 crore signing finally made his KKR debut against Gujarat Titans on May 16, but his contribution lasted only eight deliveries before a hamstring injury forced him off the field. He was subsequently ruled out of the tournament.

Cameron Green did not quite justify the INR 25.2 crore investment, finishing with 322 runs and seven wickets.

Best match of the season: The Super Over win against Lucknow Super Giants

From 73 for 6, KKR recovered to post 155 for 7 thanks largely to Rinku Singh's unbeaten 83 off 51 balls. LSG forced a tie, but the Super Over was completely one-sided as Sunil Narine conceded just one run and picked up two wickets.

On a scale of 1-10: 4

Injuries hurt them badly, their top order lacked consistency, and the middle order often failed to seize key moments. Yet KKR managed to punch above their weight and keep their playoff hopes alive until the very end.