Former India cricketer Deep Dasgupta believes Kolkata Knight Riders are firmly back in contention for a playoff place in the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League following their recent victory over Delhi Capitals. KKR defeated Delhi by eight wickets on Friday to register their fourth consecutive win and revive a campaign that had looked uncertain earlier in the season.

The win moved Kolkata to seventh place in the points table with nine points, keeping their playoff hopes alive heading into the final phase of the league stage. KKR still have four matches remaining against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals again. Winning all four matches would take them to 17 points, a tally likely sufficient for qualification.

Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Deep Dasgupta said Kolkata’s improvement has coincided with better performances from their spin attack, particularly Varun Chakravarthy. He noted that KKR rely heavily on Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine to control the middle overs and that slowing pitches in the second half of the tournament are beginning to favour their style of play.

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Dasgupta explained that several venues have become more worn as the tournament has progressed, increasing the influence of spin bowlers. According to him, this naturally benefits Kolkata’s bowling-heavy setup and makes them a stronger side during the latter stages of the competition compared to the opening weeks of the season.

The former wicketkeeper-batter also pointed to the return to form of Varun Chakravarthy as a key factor behind KKR’s resurgence. After a relatively quiet start to the campaign, the mystery spinner has begun delivering match-winning performances again, giving Kolkata greater control during crucial phases of matches.

With momentum now on their side, Kolkata Knight Riders have emerged as one of the more dangerous teams heading into the closing stretch of the league phase. However, with the playoff race still tightly contested, the team may still need a strong net run rate if they fail to win all their remaining fixtures.

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