Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have put together a run of four wins and are still alive in the race for IPL 2026 playoffs. Here’s how they can finish in the top four.
KKR were winless in their first six matches of the campaign, suffering five defeats while a home game against the Punjab Kings was washed out. But they have had a resurgence of late, winning each of their last four matches to join the race for the playoffs.
IPL 2026 points table after DC vs KKR
Ajinkya Rahane’s side are seventh in the points table with nine points in 10 matches following their latest win over Delhi Capitals. If KKR win all of their remaining four games, they will finish with 17 points, which would have comfortably taken them to the playoffs in all of the four IPL seasons since the league’s expansion to 10 teams.
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What also works in KKR’s favour is that none of the six teams above them have any games in hand. But with three teams on 12 points each – Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans – they will want two to slip up in the remaining matches. KKR will face both RCB and GT, thus it would be realistic for them to hope that these are the two teams that make way eventually.
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | PTS | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 14 | +0.737 |
| Punjab Kings (PBKS) | 10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 13 | +0.571 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | +1.234 |
| Rajasthan Royals (RR) | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | +0.510 |
| Gujarat Titans (GT) | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | -0.147 |
| Chennai Super Kings (CSK) | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | +0.151 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) | 10 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 9 | -0.169 |
| Delhi Capitals (DC) | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 8 | -1.154 |
| Mumbai Indians (MI) | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -0.649 |
| Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -0.934 |
KKR’s remaining IPL 2026 matches
- vs RCB, Wednesday, May 13
- vs GT, Saturday, May 16
- vs MI, Wednesday, May 20
- vs DC, Sunday, May 24
If KKR win all their remaining games
Even if KKR win all their remaining games, they will need favourable results from other matches to get a straightforward route to the playoffs.
- PBKS to win all their remaining games (vs DC, MI, RCB and LSG)
- SRH to win all their remaining games (vs GT, CSK, RCB)
- RR to win all their remaining games (vs GT, DC, LSG, MI)
If these scenarios are met, the top four would be as follows:
- Punjab Kings, 21 points
- Sunrisers Hyderabad, 20 points
- Rajasthan Royals, 20 points
- Kolkata Knight Riders, 17 points
RCB would get to a maximum of 16 points in this case, along with one of GT and CSK, who play each other once more. KKR will still be relatively safe in case PBKS, SRH and RR drop a game or two against teams unlikely to be in contention for the top four (DC, MI or LSG).
Can KKR afford another defeat in the IPL 2026 league stage?
Mathematically, yes. But they would need even more results to go their way, on top of those mentioned above. The most straightforward way would likely be GT and RCB all lose at least three of their remaining four matches, while CSK face defeat in at least two, and KKR's potential defeat comes against either Delhi or Mumbai, not vs GT or RCB.
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If these conditions are met, KKR will still finish fourth with 15 points, while CSK, RCB and GT will all have 14 points each. They will also face DC in the last game of the league stage and will thus go into the game fully aware of the permutations required to get into the top four.
Since the IPL's expansion to 10 teams, no side has ever managed to qualify for the playoffs with fewer than 14 points. So, KKR will almost certainly be knocked out if they fall to defeat in two matches.
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