Season at a glance:

KKR finished seventh on the points table, although they remained in the playoff race until the final day of the league stage, only to be knocked out after Rajasthan Royals beat Mumbai Indians.

The fact that KKR remained in contention until the final day represented a remarkable turnaround after a disastrous start. KKR went winless in their first six games, with their only point coming from a rain-hit fixture against Punjab Kings. They then won six of their last eight matches to revive their campaign, but ultimately fell just short of a place in the playoffs.

Player of the season: Angkrish Raghuvanshi

There are power-hitters and there are old-school batters who still find a way to keep pace with the demands of T20 cricket. Raghuvanshi belongs firmly in the latter category. Built on strong fundamentals and a largely risk-free approach, he finished as KKR's leading run-scorer with 422 runs, including five fifty-plus scores, at an average of 42.20, although a strike rate of 146.52 suggests there is still room for growth for the 21-year-old.

A stat that adds up:

720, 27, 26.66 and 22.55 - KKR's runs scored, wickets lost, average and boundary percentage in the Powerplay this season. They scored the fewest runs in the phase among all teams, had the joint second-highest wicket tally against them, and finished with both the lowest average and boundary percentage. Their late-season surge papered over several cracks, but KKR's struggles at the top of the order were a major reason they fell short of the playoffs.

A mini-auction pick that...

Looked a million bucks: Kartik Tyagi

Signed for just INR 30 lakh, Tyagi might have spent much of the season on the sidelines had injuries not decimated KKR's pace attack even before the tournament began. He grabbed the opportunity with both hands, finishing as the team's highest wicket-taker with 18 wickets at 27.66, including a best of 3 for 22. A couple of expensive outings towards the end inflated his economy rate to 9.76, but his overall contribution far exceeded expectations.

Didn't work out: Matheesha Pathirana

The slingy Sri Lankan quick could join the squad only in the second half of the tournament after recovering from a leg injury sustained during the T20 World Cup. The INR 18 crore signing finally made his KKR debut against Gujarat Titans on May 16, but his contribution lasted only eight deliveries before a hamstring injury forced him off the field. With only two league games remaining, he was subsequently ruled out of the tournament.

Cameron Green did not quite justify the INR 25.2 crore KKR invested in him, although he recovered from a slow start as the season progressed. He finished with 322 runs, including two fifties, and also chipped in with seven wickets after beginning the campaign purely as a batter while managing a previous back injury.

Best match of the season: The Super Over win against Lucknow Super Giants

From 73 for 6 and then 93 for 7, KKR recovered to post a competitive 155 for 7 thanks largely to Rinku Singh's unbeaten 83 off 51 balls. LSG appeared in control at 65 for 1 before losing momentum in the second half of the chase. Contributions from the lower order, including Mohammed Shami's unbeaten 11, helped them force a tie. The Super Over, however, was completely one-sided. Sunil Narine conceded just one run and picked up two wickets, leaving KKR with a target they comfortably chased down.

On a scale of 1-10 (1 being urgent need for introspection and 10, a celebration into the night), IPL 2026 for KKR has been: 4

Which is also where they finished when counted from the bottom of the table. Injuries hurt them badly, their top order lacked consistency, and the middle order often failed to seize key moments. Their pace attack, apart from Tyagi, was largely underwhelming, while the spinners carried much of the burden. Yet KKR managed to punch above their weight and keep their playoff hopes alive until the very end of the league phase.

They will hope to have a fully fit pace attack next season, but there are also questions around the batting order and whether Ajinkya Rahane remains the right long-term captaincy option, or even a guaranteed starter in the XII.