Mumbai, March 21: In a thrilling intra-squad match, 20-year-old Angkrish Raghuvanshi scored a century, intensifying the competition within the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The practice match took place at Eden Gardens, where Raghuvanshi batted at number three, hitting 9 fours and 5 sixes. His explosive performance helped the ‘Purple Knights’ chase down a target of 200 runs in just 19.2 overs, boasting a remarkable strike rate of 187.27.
With the IPL 2026 season just around the corner, teams are ramping up their preparations. Raghuvanshi’s impressive innings has raised questions about his position in the batting order, especially since KKR has no vacancies in the top order.
While KKR’s captain Ajinkya Rahane is not ideally suited for the T20 top order, he remains a key player. If KKR opts to field in-form batsmen like Finn Allen and Tim Seifert alongside Cameron Green, Raghuvanshi may find himself pushed down the order, similar to last season.
In the intra-squad match, Rahane opened the innings but managed only 2 runs off 4 balls. Finn Allen contributed a quick 23 runs off 11 balls. Manish Pandey and Ramandeep Singh failed to make a significant impact at numbers four and five, but all-rounder Anukul Roy played a valuable innings of 28 runs off 17 balls, supporting Raghuvanshi in the final overs.
The bowling attack for the ‘Purple Knights’ featured Umaran Malik, Prashant Solanki, Daksh Kamra, and several net bowlers. In the first innings, Tim Seifert scored 30 runs off 13 balls, while Sarthak Ranjan from Delhi made an impressive 37 runs off 16 balls. Senior batsman Rinku Singh also shone with a quickfire 45 runs off 25 balls.
KKR’s bowling lineup was primarily composed of first-choice players, with Kartik Tyagi delivering a standout performance of 3 wickets for 30 runs in 4 overs. Vaibhav Arora took 2 wickets for 41 runs, and newcomer Blessing Muzarabani claimed 1 wicket for 30 runs in 3 overs.
Notably, four key players—Sunil Narine, Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, and Matheesha Pathirana—are currently unavailable due to injuries. However, this match is expected to boost the confidence of KKR’s players as they gear up for the upcoming season.
My name is Ganpat Singh Choughan. I am an experienced content writer with 7 years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including technology, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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