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IPL 2026: Will Varun Chakravarthy play vs RCB? Massive update on KKR mystery spinner

โ€ขYahoo Sports

Kolkata Knight Riders face a must-win IPL 2026 clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, with star spinner Varun Chakravarthy's fitness a major concern. Assistant coach Shane Watson expressed optimism about the team's recent form and potential playoff push, highlighting Angkrish Raghuvanshi's impressive skill development.

NEW DELHI: Kolkata Knight Riders will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a must-win IPL 2026 clash at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur. KKR, currently eighth on the points table with four wins, five losses and nine points, need victories in all their remaining matches to keep their playoff hopes alive. The franchise will also be hoping star spinner Varun Chakravarthy recovers in time for the crucial fixture against RCB.

Will Chakravarthy play against RCB? KKR are sweating on his fitness ahead of the contest. Assistant coach Shane Watson said Chakravarthy, who aggravated an injury in his left leg during the previous match, remains doubtful for the game.

โ€œHe's just being monitored at the moment. Obviously he was sore the second last game and the last game he was in a lot of pain, even though he still bowled incredibly well,โ€ Watson said. โ€œWe've got our fingers crossed that he will be available for tomorrow, but we're just still not exactly sure.

โ€ Watson was also effusive in his praise for young batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi, describing his skill level as โ€œastonishingโ€. โ€œHis skill development as a 21-year-old, it's quite astonishing to be honest. It's mind blowing for me to be able to see his ability to adapt to different conditions, to different bowlers and have all the skill options and shot options to be able to navigate that as well as he possibly can.