Kolkata Knight Riders will be hoping their star spin duo – Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine – regains form as they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in Thursday’s IPL 2026 clash at the Eden Gardens. Both Narine and Varun failed to live up to the expectation in the first match against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede stadium on March 29. For the last two days, during KKR’s practice sessions, both the ace spinners were seen working tirelessly in the nets in order to get back their rhythm.
Talking about their records at the Eden Gardens, no other bowler has taken more wickets at this venue in T20 cricket than Narine, while Varun is fourth on that list with 34 wickets in 24 games. Will a return to familiar conditions bring back the wickets for KKR’s spearheads? Between 2012 to 2025, Sunil Narine played 66 T20s at the Eden Gardens and picked 72 wickets at an average of 22.47 and economy rate of 6.53.
For Varun, things have not gone according to plan ever since the start of the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 stage game against South Africa. He has conceded 273 runs in 23 overs at an economy of 11.86 in that phase. In the IPL 2026 opener against Mumbai Indians, he conceded 48 runs in 4 overs without picking a wicket.
Despite the loss of form, KKR Head Coach Abhishek Nayar backed Varun to bounce back. “I honestly believe mentally he is in a very good space. Actually, in a better space than he’s been in previous years in that regard,” Nayar said during the pre-match press conference at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday.
On being asked if Varun is facing his toughest challenge, Nayar said, “I feel he’s gone through a lot more than this,” Nayar observed. “Yes, he’s obviously accomplished a lot over the past year which has increased expectations. Everyone always knew Varun Chakaravarthy is a terrific bowler, but the expectation attached has come from the kind of performances he’s given for Team India.”
Thursday night’s match also signals the beginning of a crucial home stretch for KKR. The three-time champions are set to play three matches in seven days, followed by another on April 19, before their Kolkata leg pauses for nearly a month due to the upcoming assembly elections. With four away fixtures lined up and their next home game not scheduled until May 16, KKR understand the importance of building momentum during this period.
For the three-time champions, the spotlight is on team composition. With Cameron Green not available to bowl, the onus will be on the other pacers – Vaibhav Arora, Blessing Muzarabani, Karthik Tyagi, Umran Malik, Navdeep Saini and Saurabh Dubey. The Knight Riders also have the option of playing Jamaican Rovman Powell but it is unlikely that he will get an opportunity against SRH. It goes to be seen if Tim Seifert, who batted for a long time in the nets alongside compatriot Finn Allen and also practiced keeping, can be an option at the top. In that case, Blessing Muzarabani will be left out.
KKR (likely playing XI): Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Blessing Muzarabani
Impact Sub: Karthik Tyagi
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