Kolkata Knight Riders finally ended a miserable start to IPL 2026, and spinner Varun Chakravarthy has described how much the victory meant to everyone in the camp.
A difficult build-up
KKR had not won any of their first six matches and had only one point to show, from a rain-affected game against Punjab Kings. Keeping the same playing XI, they found their rhythm against Rajasthan Royals, with the spinners bowling in a disciplined manner to hold RR to 155.
The chase went to the final over before KKR won it, helped by a record-setting seventh-wicket partnership between Rinku Singh and Anukul Roy. The result moved Kolkata up to ninth in the standings.
Chakravarthy’s reaction
Chakravarthy said the win was hugely significant. He had seen many tears in the dressing room, he revealed, something that did not even happen when the side won the IPL in 2024. He gave most of the credit to the coaching staff for shielding the players from outside noise.
He also praised the management for coping with a string of injuries to important players, saying those problems had weakened the squad before the tournament even started. Singling out Abhishek Nayar, he said taking charge of a team in such circumstances demands a great deal of courage.
Man of the match
The spinner played a major part himself. His spell of 3 for 14 earned him the Player of the Match award.
