IPL 2026 | Saw more tears today than when we won IPL: Varun Chakravarthy

KOLKATA: The pressure was building up for Kolkata Knight Riders after six winless matches and the significance of Sunday’s victory wasn’t lost on Varun Chakravarthy.

“I saw more tears in the dressing room today than after we had won the tournament (in 2024),” the spinner said. “This win has a huge significance for us.”

It kept them alive in the tournament, even though the road ahead is extremely difficult.

It was a significant day for Varun too, as he announced his return to form with figures of three-for 14. However, he doesn’t want to make much of it. “The wicket was helping us a little and when that happens, the bowler will tend to attack,” he said.

In fact, he did not find anything wrong with his bowling in the preceding two months when he was giving away far too many runs. “It is all about the kind of wickets you get,” he said.

“I’m very tough on myself. If I don’t do well, I go and pinpoint what is not there. But the pitches were such that there was nothing for the spinners. If you see other spinners also, it was the same condition for everyone. So yeah, it’s nice that there’s something for the spinners now (at the Eden).”

However, he did agree that despite the slowness of the Eden Gardens wicket on Sunday, 190 was par for the course. Rajasthan Royals batting coach Vikram Rathore agreed with Varun.

“We were at least 20 runs short,” Rathore, also a former India batting coach, said.

He rued left-arm-seamer Nandre Burger’s missed catch off Rinku Singh when the batter was on eight, which proved to be the decisive moment, but added that it was part of the game. “Yes, it made the difference, but these things do happen.”

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