It was not a game to remember for KKR fans as the home team was beaten by 65 runs at the hands of SRH in IPL 2026. While SRH won their 1st game, KKR lost their 2nd straight match of this season. The KKR bowling was severely punished as SRH posted a mammoth 226/8.

Blessing Muzarabani Shines in the Darkness

But one man stood among the bowling ruins. He was not even originally supposed to be part of the KKR setup. In fact, at this very moment, he should have been playing in the PSL. Blessing Muzarabani of Zimbabwe delivered an inspirational peformance for the hosts, albeit in a lost cause.

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A Brilliant Spell

Blessing finished with 4/41 in four overs. On a day that SRH’s run-rate was 11.3, Blessing conceded at a much lower economy rate of 10.25. He took the wickets of Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen and Shivang Kumar. He was also on a hattrick at one point. In what was a shoddy bowling display, the 29-year-old fast bowler stood out.

A Great T20 World Cup

Not that it should come as a surprise. In the T20 World Cup that ended less than a month back, Blessing took 13 wickets in six games. Zimbabwe shocked everyone with wins over Australia and Sri Lanka in the league stage to qualify for the Super 8s. He finished as the joint second-highest wicket-taker.

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Making Up for a Bad IPL Debut

His IPL debut vs MI on March 29 was not anything special as he went wicketless and was hammered for 34 runs in three overs. But now he has made up for it in his second game. Blessing was roped in after Mustafizur Rahman had to be released after being bought for Rs. 8.4 crore at the auction. This was due to the outrage surrounding deaths of minority Hindus in Bangladesh. Blessing was actually supposed to play in the PSL but snubbed it and came to the IPL. He had been signed up by Islamabad United and the PCB has said it is considering legal action against the pacer.

Will KKR Win IPL 2026?

KKR’s next game is vs PBKS on February 6. They are aiming for a fourth title after winning the trophy in 2012, 2014 and 2024. If they are to finish in the top four, let alone go the distance, Blessing will have to be consistent.