The three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) spinner Varun Chakravarthy revealed that emotions ran high in the dressing room after their first win of the Indian Premier League 2026 season against Rajasthan Royals (RR), with several players moved to tears.
KKR had endured a difficult start to the season, going winless in their first six matches, their worst-ever streak, and sitting at the bottom of the table with just one point from a rain-affected game against Punjab Kings (PBKS). Sticking with the same playing XI, KKR opted to bowl first, and their spinners finally delivered a strong performance.
They restricted RR to 155 runs before chasing down the target in the final over. The win was powered by a record seventh-wicket partnership between Rinku Singh and Anukul Roy, who held their nerve under pressure. With this victory, KKR climbed to ninth place on the points table, although they have played one more match than the tenth-placed Mumbai Indians.
“Very, very significant. I can tell you I saw many tears in the dressing room today, which we didn’t even see in the year we won the IPL in 2024. The main credit goes to the coaching staff because they didn’t let the outside noise affect us. There were too many people making judgments that were totally baseless. At such times, you need a strong core, and we have that,” said Chakravarthy as quoted by News18.
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Chakravarthy had every reason to be emotional, as he delivered a match-winning performance to claim the Player of the Match award with exceptional figures of 3 for 14. KKR’s bowling unit had been under pressure throughout the tournament, especially in the absence of key pacers like Harshit Rana, Akash Deep, Matheesha Pathirana, and Mustafizur Rahman.
“We started this tournament with many injuries and it actually crippled us even before it began, So I would like to give credit to the coaches, especially Abhishek Nayar. If you’re taking up a team in such conditions, you need a lot of courage. He has taken up the team in a very tough situation. Slowly, step by step, one win here, one win there, we will be back on track,” said Chakravarthy.
