New Delhi: Players of Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings wore black armbands during the IPL 2026 match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane won the match and chose to play against the five-time champion.Rahane made one change to the XI, bringing on Varun Chakaravarthy in place of Navdeep Saini.“Look at the bowling first. I thought the last game was really good for us. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out the way we wanted. But I think the cricket we played, guys gained confidence from the last game. It’s all about starting over. When things don’t go your way, it’s important to have that belief, stay positive, and having those little moments in the T20 format is very important. So, now looking forward to this game, we will start the ball well and then look for the chase. (About the last game) Yeah, absolutely. That knock that Mukul played that night was fantastic. I mean, it’s going to happen in this form. Like I said, it’s all about faith. Guys worked really hard,” Rahane said during the toss.“It’s important for us to get those hard yards out and focus on the controllability of the players and have that belief in everybody. Like I said, the combination in the last game was really good for us. So, yeah, thinking about this game and just being in the moment. (It’s difficult after the big auction) I mean, it’s challenging to find the right balance after the big auction and obviously players are going through injuries and players not being able to play. Tonight, we have only one change. Varun Chakaravarthy is in fine form. He replaces Navdeep Saini,” he added.CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad named the unchanged starting XI.“Yes, we will bowl first as well. But like I said, in the last few games, the wickets haven’t changed much throughout the game. So there’s not much difference. There will definitely be a big total on the scoreboard in the first innings, but like I said, it looked really good. (In the last game) Yeah, like I said, even after the game, I felt the bowling defense of 210 was really good, you know, against a strong DC side. It gave us a lot of confidence, you know, even the garrison was full of energy,” Gaikwad said.“We saved a few points and that’s how I thought we collectively did a good job. It was very exciting today as well. We have work to do and everyone feels confident. (Talk about team balance) Yeah, I think we’re slowly getting it right. Brevis is back and Jamie is making key handoffs in the middle as well. So I think we’re slowly, slowly finding the right combination and it’s just delivering every game and being consistent. We will move forward with the same team,” he added.
Why do both KKR and CSK wear black armbands?
KKR players wore black armbands to mourn the death of former Indian cricketer CD Gopinath. CD Gopinath was a member of India’s first Test-winning team and an early contributor in India’s international cricket journey.Gopinath played eight Test matches for India between 1951 and 1960 and made an immediate impact with scores of 50 not out on debut and 42 against England.It was a landmark moment in the history of Indian cricket when his team won the first ever Test match against England in Madras (now Chennai) in 1952 when Indian cricket was still gaining a foothold across the globe.At the domestic level, Gopinath was a key figure in Madras cricket, leading the team and contributing significantly to its development. He enjoyed a distinguished first-class career, scoring 4,259 runs in 60 games and played a key role in Madras winning the Ranji Trophy for the first time in 1954-55, scoring a hundred in the final.After his retirement, he served as national selector (including chairman) and later as head coach of the Indian team during the 1979 tour of England. He has maintained a close association with the game for decades and is widely respected for his deep understanding of the game and understated performance.
