Varun Chakaravarthy knows what it’s like to win an Indian Premier League title with Kolkata Knight Riders and he had to go through the pain barrier to take the team to their first win of the 2026 season. With five defeats and a lucky washout to show for their efforts going into the game, the mystery spinner and his partner-in-crime Sunil Narine had to do the heavy lifting in the four-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals on Sunday. Chakaravarthy’s spell of 3/14 in four overs – including the scalp of teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi – on a helpful pitch pulled back the visitors after an 81-run opening stand while the Trinidadian had figures of 2/26 to restrict the opposition to 155. The seemingly easy target was anything but and it needed an 76-run unbeaten stand from 85-6 to see them through. Chakaravarthy has not enjoyed the best of times of late and seemed to struggle against better opposition at the T20 World Cup. He has not been fully fit either, but has gritted and carried on, and the tide seemed to change with two scalps in the previous game against Gujarat Titans. Those were his first wickets of the season after three wicket-less outings. “Before the first match itself, I fractured one of my fingers and in another match, I fractured another finger. Left hand. Two fractures,” he said after the game. “I couldn’t use my left hand itself so fielding was totally out of the questions. I am still trying to manage but it’s a little painful.” For a team with three IPL titles, the 2026 campaign was turning into a nightmarish one. They would have begun to wonder where their first win was coming from. Sunday’s result came as a big relief.Story continues below this ad “(It is) very, very significant. I can tell you that I could see many tears today inside the dressing room which we didn’t see in the winning year, the year we won the IPL in 2024 also,” Chakaravarthy said. The tweaker credited the KKR coaching staff – which includes individuals like Abhishek Nayar, Shane Watson, Andre Russell – for keeping the players in the best possible frame of mind despite the string of adverse results. “Credit goes to the coaching staff who did not let the outside noise affect us. Because there were too many people floating around with judgments which were totally baseless. At such a time, you need a strong core that supports you and we have that,” he added. With the Eden Garden offering a relatively slower surface for the game against Rajasthan Royals, Chakaravarthy said that it enabled him to focus on his strengths.Story continues below this ad “Once there is something in the pitch, I go back to my strengths which is attacking the stumps. But if there is nothing in the pitch, the bowlers start searching, they start getting confused, they are clueless. Which happens to everyone. It has happened to the best of the best. So, no one can be judged from one match,” the 34-year-old said. There is always speculation about the pitch on offer at the Kolkata venue and whether the home team gets the playing surface they would prefer. “There has been a lot of to and fro about the wicket. I don’t know who is deciding what wicket is going to be provided but we are ready for whatever it has to offer,” Chakaravarthy added.
IPL 2026: Chakaravarthy battles two fractures to fashion KKR’s first win
