IPL 2026: KKR full schedule, match timings (IST), squad, venue details

KKR secured marquee players including Cameron Green, Matheesha Pathirana, and Finn Allen, while also signing West Indies all-rounder Rovman Powell to fill the gap left by Andre Russell.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are set to kick off their IPL 2026 campaign against Mumbai Indians on March 29, Sunday. The team will begin their season aiming to bounce back after a disappointing 2025, where they finished eighth on the points table with only five wins.  KKR struggled with consistency in both batting and bowling last year, leading to an early exit from playoff contention despite having won their third IPL title in the previous seasons.

 

The IPL 2026 schedule for the first phase, announced on March 11, features 20 matches, with the tournament starting 20 days after the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final on March 8. Following the season opener, KKR will play three consecutive home games at Eden Gardens in April, taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings, and Lucknow Super Giants. 

 

 

Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2026 full schedule 

Match No	Date	Opponent	Venue	Time (IST)
2	Mar 29	Mumbai Indians	Mumbai	7:30 PM
6	Apr 2	Sunrisers Hyderabad	Kolkata	7:30 PM
12	Apr 6	Punjab Kings	Kolkata	7:30 PM
15	Apr 9	Lucknow Super Giants	Kolkata	7:30 PM
22	Apr 14	Chennai Super Kings	Chennai	7:30 PM
25	Apr 17	Gujarat Titans	Ahmedabad	7:30 PM
28	Apr 19	Rajasthan Royals	Kolkata	3:30 PM
38	Apr 26	Lucknow Super Giants	Lucknow	7:30 PM
45	May 3	Sunrisers Hyderabad	Hyderabad	3:30 PM
51	May 8	Delhi Capitals	Delhi	7:30 PM
57	May 13	Royal Challengers Bengaluru	Raipur	7:30 PM
60	May 16	Gujarat Titans	Kolkata	7:30 PM
65	May 20	Mumbai Indians	Kolkata	7:30 PM
70	May 24	Delhi Capitals	Kolkata	7:30 PM

 

Ahead of the new season, KKR strengthened their squad during the IPL 2026 auction. The team secured marquee players including Cameron Green, Matheesha Pathirana, and Finn Allen, while also signing West Indies all-rounder Rovman Powell to fill the gap left by Andre Russell.  Under the leadership of Ajinkya Rahane and with Abhishek Nayar returning as coach, KKR will aim to regroup, build momentum, and make a strong statement in the 10-team tournament, combining both new talent and experienced players to compete for a fourth IPL title.

 

Kolkata Knight Riders squad for IPL 2026: Ajinkya Rahane(C), Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Tejasvi Singh, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Rovman Powell, Anukul Roy, Sarthak Ranjan, Daksh Kamra, Rachin Ravindra, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Matheesha Pathirana, Kartik Tyagi, Prashant Solanki, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Umran Malik.