Varun Chakravarthy was limping badly during his fourth over against Delhi Capitals on May 8. He completed his entire quota of 4 overs, but the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) management had some concerns about his availability for the next match, which is against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Raipur tonight, May 13.
KKR assistant coach before the match shane watson has provided some important updates on its star spinner. Watson also talked about his overseas fast bowler Mathisha Pathirana ahead of the RCB vs KKR match.
KKR coach issues update on Varun Chakravarthy
KKR were on the verge of an early exit from the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026) after they recorded consecutive defeats in the early stages of the competition. From there they are now closing the gap to the top four teams In the marks table. As the team is still in the title race thanks to 4 consecutive wins, they will look to field their best possible combination against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium.
Before the match, the assistant coach of Kolkata Knight Riders told the journalists that Varun was in a lot of pain in the last match. As of now, they are hoping for the best on his availability for the RCB match.
Watson said in the pre-match press conference, “He had a bit of a problem in the second last game and a lot of pain in the last game as well, although he is still bowling incredibly well. We have hoped that he will be available for tomorrow, but we are not at all certain.”
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Will Mathisha Pathirana play against RCB?
After missing the initial phase of the IPL 2026 season, Mathisha Pathirana Joined the camp after proving his fitness to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). He is with the team, but is yet to play his first match for the Knight Riders.
“Pathirana continues to stake his claim. He is fit and ready to go. But, the way our team is set up, it makes it difficult for him to break into the playing 11 or 12. To be able to know that a player of that caliber is ready to make his mark gives our group a lot of confidence,” Watson said.
the team is coming together
Describing the team’s performance, Shane Watson said that there are many new faces in the team. Therefore, he needed some time to socialize with everyone and develop mutual understanding and a strong bond. As the team is now coming together, they are now giving better results match after match.
“It’s always going to take a while to decide where everyone will fit into the team, because the players we got in the auction have changed a lot compared to last season. And now that things have come together very well, our batting line-up is a lot more settled, we have a greater understanding of what really works for us with our overall team formation,” the KKR assistant coach said.
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