Kolkata Knight Riders had lost five consecutive matches in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 and were sitting at the bottom of the table without a point.

On April 19, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata against Rajasthan Royals they were 85 for 6 in the 14th over chasing 156 and the result looked like it had already been decided. Then Rinku Singh walked to the crease.

What followed was the kind of innings that Eden Gardens was built to witness. An unbeaten 53 off 34 balls, an unbroken 76-run partnership with Anukul Roy, a six over fine leg off the final over to finish the job and KKR’s first win of IPL 2026 by 4 wickets with 2 balls remaining. The curse is broken. The season is alive.

Varun Chakravarthy and Kartik Tyagi restrict RR to 155 as the spin trap works perfectly

Rajasthan Royals won the toss and elected to bat first at Eden Gardens and the opening partnership between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gave them the start they typically produce. The two put on 81 in 8.4 overs before Varun Chakravarthy had Sooryavanshi caught by Ramandeep Singh for 46 off 28 balls.

It was the wicket KKR needed and Varun did not stop there. He removed Dhruv Jurel for 5 stumped by Seifert and then bowled Riyan Parag for 12 to finish with 3 for 14 from four overs, the most economical bowling performance of the match and the spell that turned the game.

Kartik Tyagi complemented him perfectly taking 3 for 22 from four overs removing Hetmyer, Jadeja and Bishnoi in the death overs. Sunil Narine took 2 for 26 with his characteristic control.

RR lost wickets consistently after Sooryavanshi’s dismissal and collapsed from 81 for 0 to 155 for 9 with Brijesh Sharma left unbeaten on 1. The total looked competitive but with Rinku in the side never insurmountable.

IPL 2026: The KKR collapse and Rinku Singh’s rescue act at Eden Gardens

KKR’s chase began as badly as their season has gone broadly. Tim Seifert was bowled by Jofra Archer first ball for a golden duck. Ajinkya Rahane lasted two balls before Nandre Burger caught him behind for a duck.

The top three were gone for 5 inside six overs with Cameron Green’s 27 off 13 balls providing a brief moment of aggression before Ravi Bishnoi stumped him. Angkrish Raghuvanshi contributed 10 and Rovman Powell scored 23 off 20 before Jadeja removed both of them. At 85 for 6 in the 13th over with Rinku Singh just arrived at the crease KKR needed 71 off 42 balls. The task was brutal. The outcome looked inevitable.

Rinku Singh had other ideas. He took 18th over bowler Ravi Bishnoi for two massive boundaries to bring the equation down to 21 off 12. Anukul Roy at the other end was the perfect partner, calm and purposeful, scoring 29 off 16 balls with a four and two sixes.

The two added 76 together without being separated and with 9 needed off the final over Rinku Singh kept his composure completely. He finished the game with a six over fine leg with two balls to spare. Eden Gardens erupted. KKR had their first win of the season, their sixth attempt and their first point on the board.

It ends a 21 day winless run that had stretched back to the first game of the tournament on March 29. Rinku Singh 53 not out. Six wickets down. Two balls to spare. The numbers tell the story.