There was a renewed energy among the 32,000-strong crowd at the Eden Gardens on the day of Kolkata Knight Riders’ last home match of IPL 2026 season — all hoping against hope for a possible shot at the remaining play-off spot.
However, reality bit them hard within the first four overs of their match against Delhi Capitals as Rajasthan Royals kept their date with the last spot in top four when they upstaged a demoralised Mumbai Indians by 30 runs in the afternoon game in Mumbai.
The play-offs schedule is now as follows: champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru are in line for an encore as they face off a consistent Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 at Dharamsala on 26 May (Tuesday) while Royals will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator at New Chandigarh the next day (27 May, Wednesday). The Qualifier 2 between the losers of Qualifier 1 and winner of Eliminator will be held on 29 May (New Chandigarh) while the final will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on 31 May.
When the final day of league action began on Sunday, as many as three teams were in running to join the top three: Royals (14 points), Punjab Kings (15) and KKR (13).
Riyan Parag’s men managed to shape their own fortunes at MI’s fortress Wankhede, which meant them going up to 16 points – which put the issue beyond the reach of PBKS and KKR.
