'Bowling in tough situations': KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane lauds Varun Chakravarthy's return to form after SRH victory
After Kolkata Knight Riders’ win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), captain Ajinkya Rahane praised spinner Varun Chakravarthy for his comeback and said he hopes the bowler will “continue” his form. Varun took three wickets in the match, while Angkrish Raghuvanshi also contributed with a steady innings as KKR won by seven wickets. It was KKR’s third win of the season.
Varun had gone wicketless in his first three matches of IPL 2026 after a mixed T20 World Cup where spinners struggled after the group stage. But in the next four matches, he has taken 10 wickets. At the post-match presentation, Rahane said the pitch was good for batting and that 190–200 would have been difficult to chase.
"Credit to our bowlers. They kept on taking wickets. The bowling unit has been doing really well.
Credit goes to our bowling coaches. It is all about planning and executing. As long as you are clear in your head, that is important.
The victory was very important," he said. Rahane also said the team stayed calm despite earlier losses and spoke about Varun’s role. "We lost those five matches, but the atmosphere was calm.