NEW DELHI: Kolkata Knight Riders kept their IPL 2026 playoff hopes alive with a hard-fought four-wicket win over Mumbai Indians at Eden Gardens on Wednesday, but the victory may have come at a significant cost after leading run-scorer Angkrish Raghuvanshi suffered a worrying injury during the match.KKR assistant coach Shane Watson later revealed that Raghuvanshi was battling neck pain, dizziness and headaches following a heavy collision with teammate Varun Chakravarthy while attempting a catch during MI’s innings. The incident occurred in the 11th over when wicketkeeper Raghuvanshi sprinted towards Chakravarthy to claim a high catch offered by Tilak Varma. Although it appeared to be the bowler’s catch, Raghuvanshi called for it and rushed in, only for the two players to collide heavily. The impact resulted in Chakravarthy dropping the chance, while Raghuvanshi looked visibly shaken.He was later replaced by Tejasvi Singh Dahiya as KKR’s concussion substitute and did not come out to bat during the chase.WATCH: Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Varun Chakravarthy’s collision
Watson reveals extent of Raghuvanshi injury scare
Speaking after the match, Watson admitted the franchise was concerned about the youngster’s condition.“Ankrish, unfortunately, ran a long way to be able to try and get that catch. And unfortunately, the collision that he had with Varun Chakravarthy meant that he ended up having some neck pain, a bit of dizziness and a bit of a headache within a couple of overs of that as well,” Watson said.“So, unfortunately, he wasn’t able to finish off the game. And I know how desperate he was as well. He’s someone who is as tough a competitor as I’ve ever met. So we certainly missed him from a batting perspective.”The injury could become a major concern for KKR as Raghuvanshi has been one of their most consistent batters this season during their late playoff push.Watson also provided an update on Chakravarthy, revealing the spinner has been playing through pain.“I’m not exactly sure of where he is on his rehab journey at the moment. All I do know is he’s obviously playing through a bit of pain at the moment, which just shows how brave he is, how much he wants to be here to be able to contribute to KKR,” Watson said.“And he’s still bowling beautifully. It’s been brilliant to be able to see just like the turnaround from the first few games of the season to then the impact he’s been able to consistently have every single game. And we are so lucky to be able to have some of Varun’s skills.”
KKR survive tense chase
KKR’s bowlers restricted Mumbai to 147/8 after opting to field first, with Corbin Bosch’s unbeaten 32 helping MI reach a competitive total.In reply, Manish Pandey and Rovman Powell guided KKR through a tense chase as the hosts got home in 18.5 overs.The victory, KKR’s sixth in their last seven games, kept them firmly in the playoff race with six wins, six defeats and one no result from 13 matches.
