Kamal Ghorui
Kolkata Knight Riders have suffered a major setback in their crucial IPL 2026 clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, with star spinner Varun Chakaravarthy ruled out after picking up an injury in the previous game against Delhi Capitals. The mystery spinner was seen limping ahead of the match in Raipur while having a conversation with debutant Saurabh Dubey during the warm-up, strongly hinting at fitness concerns before the toss confirmed his absence from the playing XI.
KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane later revealed that Varun was unavailable for selection, with uncapped pacer Saurabh Dubey coming into the side for his IPL debut. “Last four games have been good for us. For us it’s taking one game at a time. It’s about respecting the opponents, and winning those small moments. This format is all about that, winning those small moments is important. Varun is out, Saurabh comes in for him,” Rahane said at the toss. Varun’s absence comes as a massive blow for Kolkata Knight Riders, especially considering the spinner’s role in the team’s remarkable turnaround this season. After losing five of their first six matches, KKR bounced back strongly and entered this fixture unbeaten in their previous four games, keeping their playoff hopes alive. The spinner had been central to that revival with his control and wicket-taking ability through the middle overs. However, concerns around his fitness emerged during the previous match against Delhi Capitals when he appeared uncomfortable on the field. The match itself was delayed due to rain in Raipur, with the toss eventually taking place at 8:30 PM and the game scheduled to begin at 8:45 PM. Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the toss and opted to bowl first, with captain Rajat Patidar expecting the surface to behave similarly to the one used during RCB’s thrilling last-ball win over Mumbai Indians earlier this week. “We will bowl first. I think it’s a similar wicket we played in the last match. It will behave in a similar way. We will try to keep them under pressure. I think the wickets are pretty much same. There will be variable bounce. That was a good game for us, everyone has a lot of confidence. Every game is important, we are focussing more on playing good cricket. Venky comes in for Shepherd,” Patidar said. RCB entered the contest carrying momentum from their dramatic win over Mumbai Indians, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood continuing to dominate with the new ball this season. Virat Kohli, meanwhile, came into the game looking to recover from consecutive ducks.Teams:Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane(c), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik TyagiRoyal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Venkatesh Iyer, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam Dar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood For KKR, however, the spotlight shifted firmly onto Varun Chakaravarthy’s injury, with the team now forced to navigate a must-win clash without one of their most influential bowlers.
