KKR are still alive — exactly what they need from their last 2 games to reach playoffs

When the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) started their journey in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 with five successive defeats, it felt like a matter of time before they finished the group stage with the wooden spoon. In fact, they had only one point in six clashes, and that too came through the washed-out result at home. 

However, things have changed massively in the last couple of weeks of the league for the Ajinkya Rahane-led side, who earned five victories in the last six clashes. This includes heavy wins over the Gujarat Titans and the Sunrisers Hyderabad, who stay among the top two of the points table.

The win that kept KKR in— What the GT victory actually changed

The IPL 2026 action returned to the Eden Gardens after a long break due to the elections in the state, as the Knight Riders faced the Gujarat Titans (GT). The visitors invited the home side to bat after winning the toss.

The Knight Riders ended up with 218 runs for the loss of four wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Their opening batter, Finn Allen, smashed a fine knock of 93 runs in 35 balls at a strike rate of 265.71, thanks to four boundaries and 10 sixes.

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Allen was well supported by Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Cameron Green. The Indian batter nailed an unbeaten 82-run knock off 44 balls at a strike rate of 186.36, shouldering on four boundaries and seven sixes, while the all-rounder nailed 52* runs at a strike rate of 185.71. 

The GT captain, Shubman Gill, drilled a fine knock of 85 runs out of 49 balls with the help of five boundaries and seven sixes at a strike rate of 173.47. But none of these were enough as they lost the contest by 29 runs. 

The two remaining matches, ranked by difficulty — and the one they absolutely cannot lose

With the victory over the Titans, the Knight Riders have leapfrogged to the seventh position in the table. They have earned five victories in 12 clashes at a net run rate of -0.038 and will need to go for the kill in both their remaining matches — vs MI on May 20 and DC on May 24. 

The best part of the campaign for the three-time champions is that they will play their remaining two games only at home. They will host the Mumbai Indians (MI) on May 20 before locking horns with the Delhi Capitals (DC) on May 24.

The NRR equation KKR can’t ignore in IPL 2026

If Kolkata wins two of their last two clashes, they can only get to 15 points, which leaves them at the mercy of other results. Given the list of clashes remaining, the six sides- RCB, GT, SRH, PBKS, RR, and CSK can finish on more than 15 points.

There is a possibility of them staying in contention with 13 points, if the teams which have more than 13- RCB, GT, and SRH- win most of their games, and PBKS, RR, and CSK lose their. Kolkata and Punjab could be jostling for the last playoff position with 13 points.

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Whenever they win a game in the rest of their IPL 2026 season, they will aim to increase the margin. If KKR reach 15 pts and PBKS also reach 15 pts, KKR need to overcome a ~0.393 NRR deficit across 2 matches — roughly equivalent to winning both games by 40+ runs average.