Irfan Pathan reckons Ajinkya Rahane “literally messed it up” by throwing an out-of-sorts Varun Chakravarthy the new ball against Sunrisers Hyderabad, while Sanjay Bangar admits the mystery spinner “doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence at the moment”.
Rahane handed Varun the fifth over at Eden Gardens on Thursday night. Abhishek Sharma greeted him with two sixes and three fours – 25 runs in all – and KKR never really regained control of the Powerplay. Varun returned for the 11th, leaked only six, but that was it. Two overs, 31 runs, one dot ball.
At the other end of the spectrum, left-arm spinner Anukul Roy – fresh from a Player-of-the-Series effort for Jharkhand in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy – delivered a tidy two-over spell for 1-16.
Rahane defended the plan afterwards. “Sometimes, you’ve got to see the mentality of the bowler, what he is going through,” he said. “It’s not compulsory to bowl four overs. If he’s struggling, you’ve got to accept that he is struggling. I wanted Varun to bowl four overs but the way their batters were going… Anukul bowled two really good overs. He is playing because he did really well in the Mushtaq Ali, he was the Man of the Series in the Mushtaq Ali. He can bowl in the powerplay and he can bowl in the middle overs. It is not compulsory [to bowl the full quota] at all. If Sunil [Narine] is struggling [in a game], you might see him bowl two or three overs. Or whoever is struggling. On that particular day, what is happening in the game, you’ve got to read that situation and decide accordingly.”
The captain added: “Varun is a team man. He is going through that phase where he needs that support from each and every one. Sometimes bowling just two overs can help a player. Or one over. Or no overs. We want Varun’s confidence throughout the tournament.”
Pathan, speaking on the TimeOut show, took a much harder line. “Captain plays a big role to get your confidence up as a bowler,” he said. “If he doesn’t support you in a moment where you think you can do better and you have got the momentum, this is where the leadership comes in. And this is why he should not have bowled in the powerplay. You are losing on a bowler, you know, who can be your trump card, who can be your match-winner, who has been your match-winner.
“You are giving him the tough job as a captain. So, this is where Ajinkya Rahane did really well in the second half, but first half, literally messed it up with Varun Chakravarthy by bowling him in the powerplay.”
For context, Rahane used Varun in exactly the same slot – the fifth over – during the tournament opener against Mumbai Indians. Fifteen runs disappeared that time, Varun ending on 0-48 from four overs. Add Thursday’s figures and he has 0-79 from six overs in IPL 2026.
Bangar, assessing the broader picture, was blunt. “At the moment [Varun] doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence,” he said. The numbers back him up. Since the start of the T20 World Cup, the spinner has managed only four wickets in seven outings while conceding more than ten an over. That downturn is stark given that, six months ago, India’s back-room staff were calling him “a cheat code” in the same breath as Jasprit Bumrah.
Why the slide? Observers point to flatter decks, batters picking the googly earlier, and a modest drop in pace. None of those flaws are terminal, yet all need addressing if KKR are to squeeze full value from a bowler once viewed as their trump card.
Rahane’s immediate task is balancing empathy with results. Removing a bowler mid-spell can protect confidence, but it also pushes extra work onto Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy or the seamers later on. KKR got away with it on Thursday only because SRH stalled in the middle overs; stronger sides may not be so forgiving.
That leaves Varun at a crossroads. Another Powerplay hiding could erode belief further, yet prolonged bench time would do little for rhythm. A return to his traditional post-Powerplay role – where extra grip from a scuffed ball helps the variations – might be the compromise that keeps both captain and bowler comfortable.
Either way, with the league phase still young, there is time to correct course. As Bangar noted, confidence can flip quickly in T20 cricket: one tight over, a brave caught-and-bowled, and the “cheat code” tag starts to feel relevant again. KKR, and Varun himself, will hope that moment arrives sooner rather than later.
