Kolkata Knight Riders are having a torrid start to their 2026 Indian Premier League campaign, failing to secure a win in their first five matches. The 2024 champions could only open their account on the league table due to a washout.
This is the first time KKR have gone winless in their opening five matches of the season, putting them in the midst of one of their longest and toughest runs in IPL history. Much of the scrutiny has fallen on captain Ajinkya Rahane and Rs 25.20 crore all-rounder Cameron Green.
Green, who is returning to action from a lower back injury, has tried to impress despite its high price. The Australian has so far managed just 56 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 143.59. Considered a top-order batsman in Australia, KKR has instead shuffled through the middle order.
“I think his best place would be to open the batting,” former Australian captain and ESPNcricinfo pundit Aaron Finch told the media during IPL 2026 match week. “Coming in through the middle and being exposed to top quality spin is a really difficult change for a top-order player.”
Finch believes KKR’s problems run deeper as the side contains several top-order batsmen. Moreover, their most expensive player has not played much T20 cricket recently.
“So what we’ve seen at the moment is a player who has come in after limited-overs cricket. He hasn’t played a lot of T20 cricket in the last 12 months, so that probably weighs on the fact that he’s still looking for the best way to implement his T20 plans,” he added.
That’s not the only area where Green has come under scrutiny, however; his bowling also faced criticism. The medium pacer managed just one wicket in five innings at an average of 58 while conceding 14.5 runs per over.
“Play most of his power plays through the middle, maybe one in the power play and then a couple through the middle,” Finch added.
KKR travel to the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on April 17 to face the resurgent Gujarat Titans.
IPL 2026 | IPL Schedule | IPL Points Table | IPL Player Stats | Purple Cap | Orange Cap | IPL Videos | Cricket News | Live Score
– The end
Published on:
16 Apr 2026 05:00 IST
Tune in
