Kolkata Knight Riders: Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals will enter Sunday’s IPL 2026 league-stage finale at Eden Gardens knowing their playoff hopes are hanging by a thread. While both teams are still mathematically alive in the race for the final knockout berth, qualification scenarios remain heavily dependent on results elsewhere.
The key equation centres around Punjab Kings’ clash against the already-eliminated Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday. A Punjab victory would officially end Delhi’s campaign and leave KKR requiring a massive win over DC to overcome Punjab’s superior net run-rate. Even a narrow PBKS victory would mean Kolkata need a huge margin of victory to stay in contention.
Both teams will also hope for Mumbai Indians to defeat Rajasthan Royals in the first game on Sunday, the penultimate match of the league stage, with RR capable of sealing qualification by reaching 16 points.
