Matheesha Pathirana To Make His Debut? KKR Strongest XI vs RCB- IPL 2026, Match 57

KKR predicted XI vs RCB [Source: AP]

The Kolkata Knight Riders will visit Raipur to face the Royal Challengers Bengaluru on May 13 at 7:30 PM (IST), as they look to stay alive in the season after a slow start, where they spent a long time at the bottom of the table.

KKR will go to the match four matches without a loss and are 8th on the table. Despite five losses, their destiny is still in their hands. If they win all their remaining matches, they will secure a playoff spot. However, against a formidable RCB unit, which is at the top of the table with 7 wins in 11 games, the challenges will be different.

As they fight for their survival in IPL 2026 against an old rival, here’s the expected playing XI for the match.

KKR Playing XI vs RCB- IPL 2026, Match 57

Top-Order: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Finn Allen, Angkrish Raghuvanshi

Captain Ajinkya Rahane, with 218 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 132.12, will open the innings with Finn Allen, who scored a record-breaking century in the last match to take his run rally of the season to 210 runs in 7 innings, striking at 205.88.

Angkrish Raghuvanshi is their leading run-getter this season with 269 runs at a strike rate of 135.85 and three fifties. He will retain his spot at 3 in the KKR Playing XI vs RCB for the match.

Also Read: Fact Check: Is Cameron Green Leaving KKR In The Middle Of IPL 2026 True?

Middle-Order and All-Rounders: Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine

Cameron Green took a couple of games to get going, but he is among their best batters now, showing up consistently. He has 232 runs at a strike rate of 146.83 with a fifty to his name so far. He will be followed by a fellow overseas range hitter, Rovman Powell, who has fared decently in the limited batting opportunities so far.

One of the oldest KKR players in the team, Manish Pandey, who has been in KKR Playing XI for the last two matches, will again wait for his first chance this season. Their second-highest scorer, Rinku Singh, will bat as the finisher after already scoring 237 runs at a strike rate of 145.39 and two fifties.

The spin-bowling all-rounders Anukul Roy and Sunil Narine will follow the top 7 and extend the lineup to 9. Anukul has picked 8 wickets in 8 innings, conceding only 8.87 runs per over, while Narine has an exceptional economy rate of 6.51 runs per over with 10 wickets in 9 innings.

Bowlers: Kartik Tyagi, Vaibhav Arora

Kartik Tyagi is KKR’s leading wicket-taker with 13 wickets in 9 innings, predominantly bowling with the older ball and delivering clocking 145 consistently. He will support Vaibhav Arora, who has 11 wickets as their new ball specialist at number 11.

Varun Chakravarthy, with 10 wickets in 8 innings, has bowled well since his finger injury and will be the preferred impact player from the available options. Considering the team combinations and the winning momentum that KKR has found, it is unlikely that they will make too many changes to rope in Matheesha Pathirana in the KKR Playing XI vs RCB.

KKR Playing XI vs RCB- Ajinkya Rahane (c), Finn Allen, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Kartik Tyagi, Vaibhav Arora.