Kolkata Knight Riders enter their final IPL 2026 league-stage fixture on Sunday against Delhi Capitals with their playoff hopes no longer in their own hands. KKR can only remain alive in the race for the top four if Rajasthan Royals lose to Mumbai Indians earlier in the day.
Even then, Kolkata would still require a massive victory at Eden Gardens to overhaul Punjab Kings' superior net run rate. If KKR bat first and post a total around 200, they would need to win by approximately 77 runs. In a chase scenario involving a target near 180, Kolkata would likely need to finish the chase within roughly 12 to 12.4 overs.
The weather conditions in Kolkata, meanwhile, are expected to remain favourable through the evening. According to the India Meteorological Department, the city is likely to witness partly cloudy skies with isolated light rain or thundershowers later in the day.
Temperatures are expected to touch 34°C to 36°C alongside humidity levels between 72% to 80%, creating sticky conditions at Eden Gardens. The IMD has also warned of thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds across parts of the region, although widespread rainfall is not currently anticipated.
Despite the possibility of isolated rain and thundershowers, conditions are not currently expected to significantly disrupt the scheduled fixture, with only brief passing interruptions remaining a possibility.
KKR currently sit sixth on the table with 13 points, while Delhi Capitals are eighth with 12 points. The Knight Riders have a net run rate of +0.011 and would need to overhaul Punjab Kings' +0.309 to stand a chance of making the playoffs, provided Rajasthan Royals fail to beat Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in the afternoon game.
The Knight Riders arrive with momentum after a four-wicket win over MI on May 20. Manish Pandey anchored the chase with 45 off 33 balls, alongside Rovman Powell who scored 40 off 30 balls. Sunil Narine also delivered an excellent spell of 1/13 from four overs as KKR restricted MI to just 147/8.
Delhi Capitals, meanwhile, head into the contest after a five-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals. Mitchell Starc starred with 4/40 to restrict RR to 193/8 before a 105-run opening partnership between KL Rahul (56) and Abhishek Porel (51) laid the platform for the chase. Captain Axar Patel then finished the job with an unbeaten 34 off 18 balls alongside Ashutosh Sharma's quickfire 18 not out off five deliveries.
KKR completely dominated the reverse fixture earlier this month in Delhi. After restricting DC to 142/8, Kolkata chased down the target with eight wickets in hand and 34 balls to spare, with Finn Allen starring with an unbeaten century (100* off 47 balls).
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