The 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) hasn't started well for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The three-time champions were comprehensively beaten by Mumbai Indians (MI) in their season opener at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
KKR batted first and posted a huge score of 220/4 thanks to half centuries by captain Ajinkya Rahane and youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi. However, the target of 221 wasn't enough as MI chased it down in 19.1 overs with six wickets remaining. MI veteran Rohit Sharma and wicketkeeper batter Ryan Rickleton were the stars of Mumbai's successful run chase as they hammered scores of 78 off 38 balls and 81 off 43 balls respectively.
Despite brilliant batting performances by the players on both sides, it was MI pacer Shardul Thakur who claimed the Player of the Match award for his spell of 3/39.
A crucial reason for KKR's defeat was their depleted bowling attack. In the build-up to the new season, the team lost the services of pacers Mutsafizur Rahman, Harshit Rana and Akash Deep. While Mutsafizur had to be withdrawn from the squad following a directive from the BCCI, Rana and Akash suffered injuries that ruled them out for the entire season. There is also uncertainty over when Sri Lankan speedster Matheesha Pathirana will be joining the squad.
As a result, KKR took the field against MI with a bowling attack that comprised of Vaibhav Arora, Blessing Muzarbani, Kartik Tyagi, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. Of these five bowlers, only Narine has played 190 IPL games with Chakravarthy coming second at 85 matches.
Interestingly, Cameron Green, KKR's most expensive signing of the season at Rs. 25.2 crore, did not bowl at all. Green is an all-rounder and bowls for Australia. His bowling abilities have been used by MI and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL previously.
On the night though, Green was used purely as a batter. The 26-year-old did not show any signs of injuries either as he fielded splendidly during Mumbai's chase.
After the match, Rahane was quizzed about why Green was not bowled, to which he replied: "Ask Cricket Australia."
Rahane's response was followed by a CA communication earlier today that Green has been recovering from a minor lower-back problem with the timeline of his return to bowling informed to the IPL franchise.
Also Read | IPL 2026: Dates, Schedule, Venues, Teams, Full Squads, Live Streaming And More
"Cameron has a lower-back injury, which is being managed, but requires him to abstain from bowling for a short period," a CA spokesperson said.
"Cameron is currently rebuilding his bowling loads in India with a view to return in around 10-12 days' time. KKR has been communicated with and is fully aware of this information," the spokesperson explained.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.