Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) put themselves in a precarious position in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) after their loss to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at home on Thursday. Defending a 180-plus total, KKR were cruising well for their maiden IPL 2026 victory till the 16th over with LSG’s score reading 128/7. What came after that was nobody expected.

Playing just his third IPL game, Mukul Choudhary took LSG home on the last ball of the game with his 27-ball unbeaten 54, which included just two fours and seven sixes. It was KKR’s third loss in four games. Their only point so far came at the expense of a washout against Punjab Kings at home.

While batting isn’t a problem for KKR, it is their bowling that paid the price in all their three defeats so far. With Harshit Rana and Akash Deep ruled out due to injuries, Matheesha Pathirana is yet to get his fitness certificate from the Sri Lanka Cricket after sustaining an injury in the T20 World Cup 2026.

Mustafizur Rahman’s removal from IPL also had a huge impact on KKR’s bowling attack. Although the three-time champions roped in Blessing Muzarabani, the Zimbabwean is far behind in comparison with the Bangladesh left-arm pacer in terms of experience and impact.

To add more to that, Cameron Green, who was bought for ₹25.20 crore, bowled for the first time for KKR against LSG after playing only as a batter in the first two games. Green was nursing a minor back injury, which prevented him to bowl in the first two games.

How can KKR qualify for IPL 2026 playoffs?

With just a point, KKR are currently languishing at ninth in the points table. Historically, the cut-off mark for playoffs qualification is 16 points or eight wins. The math is simple for the Ajinkya Rahane-led side. With 10 more games to go, ideally, winning eight out of the rest would be enough for KKR to qualify for the playoffs.

Winning seven out of their remaining 10 will take them to 15 points, but then the Net Run Rate (NRR) comes into play. With a current NRR of -1.315, KKR don’t just need a win, but they require victories with big margins. Any loss or washout could be fatal for KKR.

What is the lowest points for qualification in IPL?

Having said that the 16-point mark is the threshold of IPL playoffs qualification, there have been instances where teams will lower points made it to the last four. In the 2019 season, the top three teams qualified for IPL playoffs with 18 points each.

Interestingly, Sunrisers Hyderabad, KKR, and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) were level on 12 points with the fourth playoff spot at stake. It was Sunrisers Hyderabad, who beat the other two on NRR to make it to the last four stage.

What’s next for KKR in IPL 2026?

After three consecutive home games, KKR now will play two away games before returning to Kolkata. They play winless Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chennai) and Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium (Ahmedabad) on April 14 and 17. They return to host Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens on April 19.

Catch the live updates from IPL 2026 with the complete IPL 2026 Schedule and the IPL 2026 Points Table. Also, know who are currently leading the charts in IPL 2026 Orange Cap and IPL 2026 Purple Cap.