Kolkata Knight Riders went into their clash against Punjab Kings without key spinners Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy due to fitness issues. Captain Ajinkya Rahane revealed at the toss that Varun had picked up an injury while taking a catch in the previous match, while Narine was unwell.
Despite their absence, the game never really got going. Rain interrupted play early, with only 3.4 overs of KKR’s innings possible before the match was called off. With so little action on the field, KKR hardly felt the impact of missing their frontline spin pair on the day.
Meanwhile, the three-time champions shared an update on both players, confirming that Narine is feeling better and has been training with the squad over the past few days, contributing with both bat and ball. Chakaravarthy, who injured his finger while taking a catch against SRH, also returned to training on Wednesday and completed his full bowling workload.
“Sunil had fallen ill on the morning of our match vs PBKS, ‘cause of which he wasn’t a part of the XI. He has since been feeling better, and trained with the team both yesterday and today – batted and bowled. Varun had injured the little finger on his left hand while taking Abhishek’s catch in the match vs SRH. The medical team has been working closely with him. He bowled his full set at training today,” KKR provided the crucial update.
KKR have still not made a final decision whether the duo will return to the playing XI for the Lucknow Super Giants clash on Thursday night at Eden Gardens.
Varun-Narine mystery starting to fade
Meanwhile, Chakaravarthy has had a tough start, going wicketless and proving costly in both outings so far. He conceded 48 runs in his four overs against Mumbai Indians and followed it up with another expensive spell, giving away 31 runs in just two overs against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The dip in returns isn’t entirely new. After an impressive start at the T20 World Cup, where he picked up nine wickets in the group stage, his impact began to fade. From the Super Eight phase through to the final against New Zealand national cricket team, he managed only five wickets in as many matches while also conceding runs at a higher rate.
Narine has failed to make much of an impact as KKR have struggled miserably in the bowling department so far this season.
