- By Namrata Vijay
- Sun, 26 Apr 2026 11:15 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
LSG vs KKR IPL 2026: Kolkata Knight Riders' opening woes persisted as Ajinkya Rahane and Tim Seifert were dismissed cheaply in their IPL 2026 match against Lucknow Super Giants. The openers have failed to give KKR strong starts this year, and the trend has continued, with the top order making no significant contributions.
Tim Seifert was out on the last ball of the second over. Mohsin Khan bowled a brilliant delivery around off-stump. Seifert smashed it towards Mukul Chaudhary at covers. He scored 0 runs off three balls, helping Mohsin get a wicket-maiden over.
Ajinkya Rahane was out in the fourth over. Mohsin bowled a lengthy ball aimed at the leg stump. Rahane mistimed the shot, surprised by the lack of speed, and the ball went to mid-off. Aiden Markram took the catch. Rahane scored 10 runs from 15 balls, including one six.
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As both openers got out in consecutive overs, the Rishabh Pant-led side had a flying start at home.
The Kolkata franchise's openers have performed the worst this season.
The opening partnerships this season: 69 against the Mumbai Indians, 30 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, 12 against the Punjab Kings, 15 against the Lucknow Super Giants, 13 against the Chennai Super Kings, 5 against the Gujarat Titans, 0 against the Rajasthan Royals, and 3 against the LSG.
The openers scored 147 runs at an average of 18.37, the lowest among all teams this year.
KKR openers have scored 258 runs this season at an average of 17.2, the lowest for any team.
Rahane's power play performance highlights his struggles.
After eight matches, Rahane has scored 90 runs from 73 balls, including four dismissals. His strike rate is 123.3, with a dot-ball percentage of 42.4.
On Saturday, all teams broke scoring records. Sunday was low-scoring. The Ajinkya Rahane-led side again suffered a top-order collapse.