Ajinkya Rahane hailed Varun Chakaravarthy after the Kolkata Knight Riders spinner’s match-winning spell against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL 2026 fixture on Sunday. Varun was in poor form before the season even began, and it was reflected in his 2026 T20 World Cup campaign. Although India successfully defended its title, Varun’s form was in stark contrast to that. He has also been battling injuries and playing through them.
Varun took a three-wicket haul against SRH as KKR bowled them out for 165 runs in 19 overs. The India spinner dismissed Travis Head (61), Smaran Ravichandran (4) and Aniket Verma (6).
Also Read: Varun Chakaravarthy calms fears after injury scare, says ‘I’ll be fine in 3 days’ after match-winning spell
Speaking after the match, Rahane said, “Really happy for him.”
“He was struggling before the tournament and even going into the tournament – first couple of games. The way he came back was amazing. He was always confident. Works really hard, great attitude. You want players like him to do something for the team in tough situations. He’s been bowling the tough overs. I’m sure he will continue his performance,” he added.
SRH captain Pat Cummins earlier won the toss and opted to bat. Travis Head gave SRH a strong start, but lost his opening partner Abhishek Sharma (15) early in the fourth over. Head smacked 61 runs off 28 balls, packed with nine fours and three sixes, striking at 217.86. Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan registered 42 runs off 29 balls, including four fours and two sixes.
After Head’s dismissal, it was a total collapse for SRH, as Sunil Narine also reached 200 IPL wickets, effecting two dismissals. SRH were bowled out for 165 in 19 overs. Chasing 166 runs, KKR reached 169/3 in 18.2 overs, winning by seven wickets. Angkrish Raghuvanshi registered 59 off 47 balls, including five fours and two sixes, and also striking at 125.53.
Credit to the coaches!
“Very good game. The way we came back with the ball. Looked like they will get 190-200. It was a good wicket to bat on. 190-200 would’ve been challenging to chase. But credit to our bowling unit, especially the spinners. They kept taking wickets. Those small moments are really important, really happy with the win. The bowling unit has been doing really well in the last 5-6 games,” Rahane said.
“Credit to our bowling coaches – [Dwayne] Bravo and [Tim] Southee. During practice sessions, lot of talking, lot of planning, different oppositions, different grounds. It’s all about planning and executing. Here and there you will go for runs, but as long as you’re clear in your head, that’s important.”