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Kolkata Knight Riders have made a big decision on the availability of their star cricketer Varun Chakravarthy, whose return to form has been a big positive in their four-match winning streak in the last few matches.
Kolkata Knight Riders are heavily dependent on their two star spinners, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, as they have been best at controlling the game in those quiet middle overs. Chakravarthy’s impact has been tremendous, as he has been the leading wicket-taker along with Narine, who has been very economical.
The Knight Riders are currently placed eighth on the points table, but they actually have enough chances to make the playoffs by winning every match they play this season. However, they have matches against many of their competitive opponents remaining.
KKR has suffered a big blow due to Varun Chakraborty’s injury before the important match against RCB.
Raipur’s wicket didn’t seem to be the best in providing consistent bounce or anything like that; Rather, it looked very sluggish, and KKR’s spinners could once again decide the fate of the contest. However, dark clouds are looming over the availability of star spinner Varun Chakraborty.
During their last clash against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, the KKR spinner suffered a leg injury as he struggled to even complete his quota of four overs. However, he was taken off the field after completing his overs and this was the first match after his promising comeback where he did not get any wickets.
With the match scheduled to be played on May 13, he was last seen wearing a knee brace and using crutches, clearly indicating that he may not be fit enough to play in the upcoming game against RCB.
KKR coach gives update on Varun Chakravarthy’s availability
KKR assistant coach Shane Watson updated on the recent injury status of the star spinner and also confirmed that Chakravarthy’s availability cannot be confirmed and he is currently being monitored.
“Varun Chakraborty is still being monitored,” Watson said ahead of the match against RCB in Raipur. “Obviously he’s hurting. He was in a lot of pain the last two games. Even though he still bowled incredibly well, it’s incredible to see where he started in the season and where he’s ended up.”
“At the moment we are just keeping an eye on him. We hope he will be available for tomorrow, but we are still not sure,” he said.
Given what Watson revealed in that press conference, it seemed clear that Chakravarthy was very unlikely to start for KKR. The spinner has played 11 matches against RCB and has taken 15 wickets at an economy of 7.18 against this opponent.
If the Raipur track behaves like it did in the RCB vs MI encounter, Chakraborty could have a nightmare for the Challengers. However, his unavailability will be a sigh of relief for the Challengers.
KKR don’t have many options to replace the experienced spinner as they can only include players like young Daksh Kamra, who is a leg spinner but is yet to make his IPL debut. They may also have Rachin Ravindra in the same role, who can also be an additional batsman, but Rovman Powell will have to sacrifice his place in those circumstances.
Also read: Shane Watson gives big warning to Virat Kohli before KKR vs RCB match