New Zealand cricketer Rachin Ravindra has departed the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 midway to ready himself for the upcoming tour of England, as confirmed by his franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). KKR announced that Ravindra left the squad to concentrate on his red-ball commitments with the New Zealand national team. The franchise stated, “Rachin Ravindra has returned home to begin his red-ball preparations for New Zealand’s upcoming Test tour to England.”
In a heartfelt Instagram post, KKR shared a video of Rachin bidding farewell to his teammates with handshakes and hugs before his departure. The post captioned, “Best wishes from the Knights as Rachin heads home to prepare for national duty.” Former CSK player Rachin was acquired by KKR at his base price of INR 2 crore during the IPL 2026 auction last year. However, he did not get a chance to play a single match in the ongoing season as KKR opted for Cameron Green in the middle order, the position where Ravindra usually bats.
KKR’s journey in the IPL 2026 has been a mix of highs and lows. Initially, they struggled without a win in the first six matches. Subsequently, the three-time champions staged a comeback by winning four consecutive matches. Their winning streak was broken by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the last game. Following this defeat, KKR currently sits at the eighth position in the points table with 9 points from 11 matches, teetering on the edge in the playoff race. To secure a spot, Ajinkya Rahane’s side must win all remaining matches to reach 15 points, with their fate then dependent on net run rate and other teams’ performances.
Meanwhile, Rachin is anticipated to play a significant role when New Zealand faces England in the upcoming three-match test series starting on June 4.
