'I wasn't making any mistakes': Varun Chakravarthy blames pitches for poor run in IPL
Kolkata Knight Riders spinner Varun Chakravarthy said his recent struggles were due to pitches and not because of any “mistakes” in his bowling, while also responding to criticism from outside. The spinner returned to form with figures of 3/14 on a slow Eden Gardens surface, helping Kolkata Knight Riders register their first win after six matches, beating Rajasthan Royals by four wickets. When asked about his difficult phase since the T20 World Cup Super Eights match against South Africa on February 22, Chakravarthy responded, “Bowlers will concede runs.
Which game are you talking about? ” His dip in form began during that stage, when he was hit by David Miller and Dewald Brevis, and it continued into the IPL. Despite taking 14 wickets in the T20 World Cup alongside Jasprit Bumrah, he went at over 11 runs an over in the later matches and picked up only five wickets in the last five games.
In IPL 2026, he conceded 48 runs in four overs in the opening match against Mumbai Indians and took four matches to get his first wicket. Chakravarthy said there was no issue with his bowling. “Just because I’ve taken three wickets today, I don’t want to make a sweeping statement.
That’s the nature of the game. " “In the next match, if the wicket has nothing in it, that’s going to happen to every spinner. As you saw, initially every spinner was struggling.
That’s how it is," he said, as cited by news agency PTI. “Once the pitches start slowing down, that’s when we come into the game and become more effective. So it’s the nature of the game and we can’t change it.