Kolkata Knight Riders cruised to a dominant eight-wicket win over Delhi Capitals on May 8, fueled by a sensational unbeaten century from Finn Allen at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. While the Kiwi opener grabbed the headlines with his 47-ball ton, everyone was talking about Varun Chakravarthy’s fitness during the first innings.
The mystery spinner looked to be in a lot of pain as he finished his four-over spell, limping between balls and checking in with the physio near the boundary. Even though he was clearly struggling, he finished his overs and gave up 28 runs without taking a wicket, though Ashutosh Sharma managed to target him late in the innings due to his limited mobility.
This latest scare is a worry for KKR, especially since the spinner has already been playing through fractures in his non-bowling hand this season, raising questions about whether he’ll be ready for the upcoming playoffs.
After the game, skipper Ajinkya Rahane cleared the air during a light-hearted chat with Harsha Bhogle. Rahane downplayed the concerns, joking that the bowler is doing just fine despite his "strange habit" of trying to get off the field. The captain noted that Chakravarthy is perfectly happy as long as he’s actually bowling, but teased that the spinner prefers the comfort of the dugout the moment his job is done.
Rahane insisted the player is "absolutely fine" and confirmed the team will manage his workload by taking things one game at a time. It’s a pretty optimistic take considering the visible limping, but the skipper clearly trusts his main wicket-taker to play through the pain.
"He's fine. As long as Varun is bowling, he's happy. When he's fielding, he just wants to go inside. But he's fine. He's absolutely fine. One game at a time."
While fans might worry about Varun pushing too hard, the KKR camp seems content to let their star spinner do things his own way. Kolkata now moves forward with fresh confidence, hoping Varun Chakravarthy stays fit enough for the business end of IPL 2026 after this clinical win over DC.
