IPL 2026: Ajinkya Rahane will captain KKR for the second successive season. (BCCI) KKR have Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Rovman Powell, Cameron Green, and Rachin Ravindra as overseas batters, and they would like to make the most of both the Kiwi openers, along with Powell. With Rahane at the top of the order, one of the Kiwi openers might have to warm the bench or bat lower down the order. The Australian all-rounder might be a good fit in the middle-order, with Powell taking his usual slot in the lower middle-order. One can't help but feel that KKR have gone in with an opener too many ahead of IPL 2026. With Sunil Narine and Blessing Muzarabani also in the ranks, it would be interesting to see which overseas batters KKR eventually fall back to make way for any of the overseas bowlers in the early stages of the tournament. The best place for Rahane will be at the top of the order, leaving little room for KKR to experiment with both the Kiwi openers. Given their current form and the way both the openers had played in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026, Rahane might feel the pressure to bring himself down the order, in case the former India captain fails to deliver in the first couple of matches of the tournament. Kolkata Knight Riders will play their first game against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Sunday, March 29, 2026. With Matheesha Pathirana likely to miss the first couple of matches for KKR due to injury, it would be interesting to see their overseas picks, which might go on to decide their fate in this edition. KKR finished eighth in the points table in IPL 2025 under Rahane, and a similar season might just force them to make a change in their think tank. The IPL 2026 is scheduled to kick off on Saturday, March 28, 2026, with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Sports, Cricket and around the world. Sajal Patra brings nearly 15 years of diverse experience in digital and print journalism, and currently leads sports coverage at Times Network, with e... View More