Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) spinner Varun Chakaravarthy stemmed the flow of runs in the middle overs against Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match on May 8. However, Chakaravarthy struggled in his last over, limping to his bowling mark and eventually leaving the field after completing his spell. There were question marks over whether Chakaravarthy’s injury is serious but skipper Ajinkya Rahane brushed aside those concerns after KKR’s comprehensive eight-wicket win over Delhi Capitals (DC).
“He's fine. As long as Varun is bowling, he's happy. When he's fielding, he just wants to go inside. But he's fine. He's absolutely fine. One game at a time,” Rahane said in the post-match presentation.
Expensive 4th over ruins Chakaravarthy’s bowling figures
Chakaravarthy has found form after a slow start to his campaign. Against DC, he was brought into the attack after powerplay overs. He conceded seven runs in his first over, including a boundary off DC opener Pathum Nissanka's bat. In the next over, he kept new batter Sameer Rizvi on his toes, conceding just three runs. He was brought back into the attack in the 14th over. Against Axar Patel and Ashutosh Sharma, he conceded just two runs. Rahane handed the ball to Chakravarthy for the 17th over. As the spinner limped and struggled, Ashutosh hit him for a six and two fours. Despite the 16-run over, he finished his bowling quota of four overs, going for 28 runs.
Chakaravarthy’s tunraround
After three wicketless outings, Chakaravarthy has been picking up wickets. He has 10 wickets from eight games at an average of 25. His economy rate has come down to 8.62 runs per over.
KKR’s next game
The mystery spinner had earlier missed three games due to a foot injury. KKR medical staff will have ample time to help the spinner recover as their next match is on May 13 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur.
His presence is crucial as KKR have managed to keep their playoff hopes alive. With 9 points from 10 games, including four wins and an abandoned game, they are placed seventh on the points table. They need to win at least three of their next four games to have a chance to qualify for playoffs.