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In the final group game of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) hosted the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the reverse fixture at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Axar Patel and his boys took their revenge over the Knights, beating them by 40 runs, and finished the season on a high note, as both teams were eliminated before the start of the game.
KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to bowl first. They remained unchanged from their last game. Axar Patel made a couple of changes, bringing in Kuldeep Yadav and Auqib Nabi in the last game. The former won the player of the match on his comeback against his former franchise.
KL Rahul shines for DC
After being invited to bat first, DC openers, KL Rahul and Abishek Porel, had a breezy start. But the local boy, who had a chance, could not capitalise as he went back for 22 runs. Sahil Parakh also made a quick 24 runs and stitched a small partnership with Rahul. KL Rahul brought up his fifty in 25 balls.
The wicket-keeper batter played a knock of 60 runs. It gave DC a solid foundation, and small contributions from Axar Patel (39), David Miller (28), and Ashutosh (18) helped the Capitals score 203/5 in their 20 overs.
KKR crumble in the middle overs
While chasing, Ajinkya Rahane and Finn Allen were off to a decent start, but they shifted their gears. However, the Kiwi batter, despite getting the start, was back scoring 20 runs on the night. Manish Pandey played a small knock of 25 runs. Rahane scored his second fifty this season in 31 balls.
Rahane was dismissed on the score of 63 runs, and then there was a collapse as KKR lost 7 wickets in the span of 36 runs and were bowled out for the score of 163 runs as Axar Patel and his side finished off on a high note in the final game.
Team becomes very difficult to stop- Axar Patel
After the game, Axar Patel, in the post-match presentation, named the winners of IPL 2026. He believes Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will win their second trophy, given the firepower in their batting, especially in their top order.
"I would say that in the last three matches, the way we played, even when you know things are not going well, the way the team fought after that, I am very proud. No one thought that we would just give up and think we are already out. Things were not going well, but still the effort in the last matches, I am very proud of that."
"Firstly, you have to accept your mistakes. After that, you realize what you need to do better. That is the positive you have to take forward. If you talk about one match, if just one match had gone differently, things could have been very different. I think the last time we played good cricket, it was just about one match. If that one match had gone our way, we would have been talking differently."
Axar Patel concluded, (on the strongest team among the qualifiers), "I think SRH are looking very strong. When their top 3 score runs, that team becomes very difficult to stop. So I think SRH."
Also Read: "Proud of everyone": Ajinkya Rahane lauds entire KKR team despite disappointing end of IPL 2026
