Varun Chakravarthy was retained by KKR ahead of IPL 2022.
Varun Chakravarthy conceded 45 runs from his three overs in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) seven-wicket defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Former India wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel feels that the mystery spinner will be under the scanner following a poor start to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.
After six matches, Chakravarthy has four wickets to his name with an economy rate of 8.30. He has been unable to bring control in the middle overs, especially on batting-friendly surfaces.
Opining that questions will be raised over Chakravarthy’s form, especially because he is a retained player, Patel said on Cricbuzz:
“KKR’s bowling is a form of concern now. Till now they were relying on Umesh Yadav’s early wickets but their death bowling has always been an issue. There might also be a question on Varun Chakravarthy, he is their retained player. They will have to find a bowling option somehow. Narine is their only consistent bowler, who is bowling with an economy of under six,”
Following a bright start to the tournament, Umesh Yadav has faded as well, sliding to the third spot in the Purple Cap race. Pat Cummins is yet to find his groove while the franchise’s fifth bowling option continues to be a headache.
“You can see the difference between the two bowling attacks” – Pragyan Ojha
SRH were able to successfully restrict the two-time winners to the lowest first-innings total at the Brabourne Stadium in IPL 2022.
In response, the bowlers endured a drubbing for the second outing in a row, with the target being successfully chased with over two overs to spare. To make matters worse, four of their bowlers finished with an economy in excess of 10 runs per over.
Commenting on the second half of the fixture, Pragyan Ojha said:
“The second half completely belonged to SRH. Tripathi played an extraordinary inning. You have to play according to the venue. On wickets where there is not much help, you need bowlers who can offer something different. You can see the difference between the two bowling attacks of both sides.”
KKR will look to avoid a third consecutive defeat when they come up against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the same venue on April 18 (Monday).
