While Kolkata Knight Riders made a horror start to IPL 2026, young Angkrish Raghuvanshi has stood tall with back-to-back fifties.
IMAGE: Angkrish Raghuvanshi celebrates his fifty during the IPL 2026 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday, April 2, 2026. Photographs: BCCI
Key Points
- Angkrish Raghuvanshi was retained by KKR for Rs 3 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction.
- Raghuvanshi burst onto the scene during India's Under-19 World Cup triumph in 2022.
- Raghuvanshi smashed a 27-ball half-century against SRH -- his second fifty in succession this season.
Kolkata Knight Riders have been comprehensively outplayed in their first two games against Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Yet, amid the disastrous start, young unheralded Raghuvanshi has stood tall for KKR with fifties in both games.
The Mumbai batter was a surprise pick as KKR's first choice wicket-keeper for IPL 2026 ahead of New Zealand's Tim Seifert. Stepping up to take over the gloves and bat at No, 3 has added a lot of balance to the team.
While he is yet to register a dismissal with the gloves, Raghuvanshi has set the tournament alights with two blazing knocks. He is the first batter to go past the 100-run mark this season as he currently tops the Orange Cap standings with 103 runs from two innings at a strike rate of 177.58.
Nayar's Role In Raghuvanshi's Rise
IMAGE: Angkrish Raghuvanshi plays the sweep shot. Photograph: BCCI
Interestingly, Raghuvanshi's success so far is largely due to the guidance from KKR Head Coach Abhishek Nayar, who has been his mentor and coach for the last 10 years. Aged 11, he moved from Delhi to Mumbai to pursue his cricketing career under Nayar's tutelage.
Raghuvanshi burst onto the scene during India's Under-19 World Cup triumph in 2022 where he played a starring role with the bat.
KKR signed up him at the IPL 2024 auction for Rs 20 lakh (Rs 2 million). Still 19, he announced himself on the big stage with a fifty in his second game against Delhi Capitals after he didn't get a chance to bat in his debut match.
He gave further glimpse of his potential with some a few vital cameos at No, 3 to tally 163 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 155.24 in his maiden season to play a role in KKR's title triumph in 2024.
Raghuvanshi would continue to taste more success as later that season Mumbai won the 2024-2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
His impressive showing in the first season of IPL convinced KKR to splurge Rs 3 crore (Rs 30 million) to retain young Raghuvanshi at IPL 2025 mega auction and he repaid that trust with a showing with the bat last season, as he amassed 300 runs at a strike rate of 139.53.
Why Raghuvanshi Took Up Keeping
Following his two successful seasons with the bat, Raghuvanshi has further enhanced his game by working on his wicketkeeping skills.
'It's a new challenge and I enjoyed it a lot and I've been practicing it quite a bit and we'll see what happens with it,' he had said on taking over the gloves for Mumbai in white ball cricket.
Against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Raghuvanshi played like a seasoned campaigner, tonking the bowlers all over the ground. He took over the mantle from Finn Allen, who had blazed 28 from seven balls.
He survived a leg before shout early on before giving Abhishek Sharma a dose of his own medicine, launching the SRH part-time spinner for two sixes in the third over.
KKR raced past 50 in 3.2 overs -- their fastest team fifty in IPL history. Jaydev Unadkat's variations were despatched for back to back boundaries by Raghuvanshi, who helped KKR get back on track after Finn's wicket.
The only blemish during his superb knock was his indecisive running which resulted in two runs out. In the first instance, Cameron Green was run out for 2 and later he ended up losing Raghuvanshi's own wicket after a huge mix-up with Rinku Singh.
This was after Raghuvanshi had blazed his way to a 27-ball half-century -- his second fifty in succession this season.
His dismissal ended KKR's hopes as SRH chipped away at the wickets in the middle overs to bundle out the hosts for a disappointing 161 in 16 overs.
This was the first time since 2012 KKR had suffered defeats in their first two games of an IPL season.
With their pace attack depleted by injuries, spinners struggling to make their mark and big-money signing Cameron Green yet to fire, the early signs are pointing towards another disappointing season for KKR.
Last season, KKR finished eighth with five wins from 14 matches. Fans will be desperately hoping for a swift turnaround and if Raghuvanshi continues his sparkling form he could well ignite their comeback bid.