Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had a tough start to the IPL 2026 season as they lost both their opening matches of the tournament against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Ajinkya Rahane’s batting approach has come into question multiple times, particularly in the match against SRH, where he struggled to time the ball and scored just 8 runs from 10 balls chasing a mammoth total of 226. With KKR batting looking particularly weak against SRH, franchise legend and former India batsman Robin Uthappa has suggested some major shaeups including replacing Rahane in the opening slot with Sunil Narine.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Robin Uthappa said that Sunil Narine could open the batting for KKR, as his batting abilities are being wasted lower down the order. This would also help the team to start with a left-right opening combination as Narine would bat alongside Finn Allen.
“One of the potential solutions is bringing Sunil Narine up the order, given the way he is batting right now. I don’t want to waste his abilities down the order,” Uthappa emphasized.
He alo suggested a batting line-up of Angkrish Raghuvanshi at no.3, followed by Rahane at no.4, Manish Pandey at no.5 and Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh and Anukul Roy at 6,7 and 8.
‘Angkrish Raghuvanshi Only Silver Lining’
Robin Uthappa also stated that while KKR struggled in the first two games of the tournament, the only silver lining in the lineup has been that of Angkrish Raghuvansi. The 22-year-old notched up two half-centuries in the first two games, coming in at two different batting positions – no.4 vs MI and no.3 vs SRH.
“KKR find themselves between a rock and a hard place at this point in time. In the first game, the bowling was found out, and in the second game, the batting. Obviously, the two run-outs didn’t help KKR’s cause in the run chase,” Uthappa said.
The only silver lining so far for KKR has been Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s batting. He has performed at No.4 and 3 in the two matches. He is a kid with a tremendous amount of potential if he opens or bats at No.3,” he added.
