Kolkata Knight Riders registered their fifth defeat in IPL 2026 against the Gujarat Titans, extending their winless streak. The loss has brought finisher Rinku Singh's poor form and his surprising demotion in the batting order into sharp focus, with former cricketer Manoj Tiwary questioning KKR's faith in the player.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) search for their first win of the IPL 2026, continue as they registered their fifth defeat following a five-wicket loss to the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, April 17.
After being bundled out for 180, banking on Cameron Green’s 79-run knock, KKR failed to defend it as GT chased down the 181-run target with a ball to spare in the final over. Shubman Gill played a captain’s innings of 86 off 50 balls, including 8 fours and 4 sixes, at a strike rate of 172.00. Jos Buttler (25), Sai Sudharsan (22), and Glenn Phillips (19) chipped in with useful contributions to keep the chase steady.
Varun Chakravarthy led the KKR bowling attack with a spell of 2/34 at an economy rate of 8.50 in four overs. Sunil Narine (1/28), Vaibhav Arora (1/35), and Ramandeep Singh (1/5) picked a wicket each and kept KKR in the contest at different stages, but GT held their nerves in the death overs to pull off a victory.
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Rinku Singh’s, Struggling Form Raises Question
As the Kolkata Knight Riders lost to the Gujarat Titans, the focal point of discussion was not only Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy but also Rinku Singh’s lean run of form, with the southpaw failing to make a significant impact in the last six matches, raising concerns over his role and confidence in the batting order.
In the matches against the Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Lucknow Super Giants, and Chennai Super Kings, Rinku batted at No.5 and scored 33*, 35, 4, and 6, respectively, struggling to convert starts into impactful knocks. The No.5 batting position has been the left-handed batter’s most frequent role over the last few seasons, including the ongoing edition of the tournament.
However, in the match against the Gujarat Titans, Rinku Singh was demoted to the No.7 position, with Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, and Anukul Roy batting ahead of him in the order. Rinku walked in bat after Ankul’s dismissal at 147/5, but his stay at the crease was short as he was dismissed for just one run at 148/6.
In five matches, Rinku Singh has aggregated 79 runs at an average of 19.75 and a strike rate of 117.91, continuing his lean run in IPL 2026 with inconsistent returns in the middle order. KKR’s trusted middle-order batter over the past IPL seasons has struggled to replicate his finishing role, raising questions over his form and batting position.
Has KKR Lost Faith in Rinku Singh?
Rinku Singh’s demotion in batting order during the IPL 2026 clash against the Gujarat Titans has raised questions over KKR’s confidence in their finisher amid his poor run of form. Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary believes that KKR has given an indirect signal of a lack of faith in Rinku Singh by altering his batting position and pushing him down the order.
Speaking on the Cricbuzz show after the GT vs KKR match, Tiwary criticized Kolkata’s batting order, especially sending Ankul Roy over Rinku up the order when the visitors were reeling at 87/4.
“You changed the entire batting order. You sent Anukul Roy higher up. You just sent Rinku Singh an indirect signal that you don't have any faith in him,” the former India cricketer said.
“Whoever is thinking in their right mind would send Rinku higher up, as he has been your asset for such a long time,” he added.
Rinku Singh has amassed 1,178 runs in his IPL career so far, of which 934 runs, including three fifties, have come while batting between No.4 and No.6. He averages 31.13 with a strike rate of 138.37 in 49 matches in that position range, meaning nearly 79.3% of his IPL runs have come in the middle order.
‘He Was Completely Heartbroken’
Manoj Tiwary noticed that Rinku Singh was ‘heartbroken’ while walking back to the dugout following his 1-run dismissal, adding that KKR might remain at the bottom of the points table if the team continues with such inconsistent planning and poor batting decisions.
“Just look at Rinku, when he came back after getting out. He was completely heartbroken. He knew, deep inside, that it shouldn't have happened to him,” Tiwary said.
“When you had to build his confidence, you did the exact opposite by sending Rinku down the order. If KKR continue playing like this, they will remain at the bottom,” he added.
After a six-match winless streak, Kolkata Knight Riders’ chances of qualifying for the playoffs have become increasingly slim, as the team needs to have a drastic turnaround, winning almost all of their remaining 8 matches to stay in contention for a realistic shot at the IPL 2026 playoffs.
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