IPL 2026: Varun Chakravarthy, Romario Shepherd missing from RCB vs KKR – Here’s Why

The start of Match 57 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was delayed due to a wet outfield. After an hour and fifteen minutes lost in the commencement of the contest, fans of both sides were shocked to see the exclusion of Romario Shepherd and Varun Chakravarthy from the respective playing XIs.

RCB vs KKR: Toss Update

The coin flip went in favour of RCB, as visiting skipper Ajinkya Rahane called it incorrectly at the toss. RCB opted to bowl first. RCB captain Rajat Patidar explained that chasing would be relatively easier at the venue, and given there are chances of rain kicking in later in the match, they wanted to chase to stay better informed of the par score, in case the DLS rule comes into play.

RCB vs KKR: Chakravarthy out with niggle, Shepherd dropped

While the decision to keep Chakravarthy out of the game was a forced one to make for KKR, Shepherd was dropped by RCB, calling in Venkatesh Iyer. Jacob Duffy also came back for RCB, while Devdutt Padikkal would be used as an impact player in the second innings. Chakravarthy won’t be seen taking part, as he is down with a niggle. He has been replaced by Saurabh Dubey, the bowler from Vidarbha.

RCB vs KKR: What did the captains say?

Rajat Patidar, RCB captain,

“Obviously, we’ll bowl first. I think it’s a similar wicket that we played last match, so I think it will behave in the same way. And it should be pretty good also, hard surface, but we’ll try to keep them under pressure while chasing. (The colour of the surface looks a little dark.) I don’t think so. As I feel, both the wickets are pretty much the same, and there must be a variable bounce, but let’s see how it goes.

I think it was a tight match (vs MI), but I think was a good game for us to be in the game, and everyone has a lot of confidence after the way we played the last game. It was a tight game, but everyone is looking good and looking forward for it. Every game is important. You know, we are not looking at the table, but we are just focusing more on playing a good cricket. Venky (Iyer) comes in place of Shepi (Shepherd).”

Ajinkya Rahane, KKR captain,

“We wanted to bowl first as well. (In with a chance for the playoffs?) Absolutely, yes. I mean, last four games have been really good for us as a team. Everyone started to do really well. For us, sometimes the game tells you to keep things really simple. For us, it’s all about taking one game at a time, keeping it really simple. And then, as I said, it’s all about respecting the opponents and winning those small moments. So, just really looking forward to the game.

(Improvements in the side?) I think just a belief, probably. As I said, we started winning those small, small moments. This format is all about that. One over here and there can change the game. I thought we’ve been bowling really well as a bowling unit. But, you know, winning those small moments in this format is really important. Every single game is really important. Varun Chakravarthy misses out, unfortunately, with a niggle injury. Saurabh Dubey comes in in place of him.”

RCB vs KKR: Playing XIs

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Venkatesh Iyer, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam Dar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood

Impact Substitutes: Devdutt Padikkal, Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, Romario Shepherd, Swapnil Singh

Kolkata Knight Riders

Ajinkya Rahane(c), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi

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