Kolkata: Varun Chakravarthy has endured a difficult T20 World Cup where he conceded 9.25 runs per over despite taking 14 wickets but Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Abhishek Nayar and captain Ajinkya Rahane feel nothing is necessarily wrong with the spinner. KKR start this IPL season relying heavily on the spin duo of Charkravarthy and Sunil Narine but the Indian spinner’s recent returns have raised concerns that the bowling attack—that has already lost Harshit Rana to injury—may not have enough sting.

“I think with Varun, he’s played so much T20 cricket over the past year,” said Nayar, who has taken over as coach from Chandrakant Pandit this year, at KKR’s first press conference here on Friday. “So, a lot of teams will obviously try things. Sometimes the conditions are not conducive to their style of bowling. You also need to understand he’s always bowling the tough overs for the team,” he said.

“He’s bowling in the Powerplay. He’s bowling phases of the game where two batters are set. He’s coming in and trying to pick wickets. So, I wouldn’t say there’s anything necessarily wrong with him. He’s had a good 10-day break from the World Cup. I think that break is sometimes what a cricketer requires. The beauty of team sport is that sometimes if Varun doesn’t turn up, someone else does. And we don’t want to put that sort of pressure on Varun.”

Ajinkya Rahane offered an alternate take, saying Chakrvarthy bowled but the batters facing him too played well. “Let’s give credit to them rather than talking about Varun,” he said. “I don’t see any problem with Varun’s bowling ability. I think a mental break, that’s what you need as a player. So, we are not really worried about Varun. I always believe he has always done well for the franchisee, for the country as well. But give credit to opposition backers who played well against Varun.”

Power batting boost

Unlike the bowling, KKR’s batting has been bolstered by the addition of power hitters Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Cameron Green and Rovman Powell. With the recent T20 World Cup showcasing a riskier batting approach in the Powerplay, KKR could be tempted to use their latest recruits to blaze away in the first six overs. While agreeing T20 batting has evolved remarkably, assistant coach Shane Watson said KKR won’t go with a premeditated mindset.

“A big part of it comes down to the conditions and the calibre of players that you do have in the team. The one thing that we saw even last season with the Sunrisers, because their conditions changed a bit at their home ground, they still continued to try and bat the way they did and get 250, 60 runs. That meant that it actually made it more challenging,” said Watson.

“It was a higher risk than it really needed to be. So, cricket hasn’t evolved that much. Yes, there’s more high risk that’s been taken from a few batters in particular. But in the end, from a batting perspective, you do have to assess the conditions. You do have to really make the most of understanding what you can do to be able to score as quick as you can while not taking over-the-top risks when you don’t need to.

“There’s no question that the way the batters and the caliber of batters that we’ve got in our team as well, that if they have a really good day in the right conditions, that they certainly can push the limit on the higher scores. But, in the end, you just want to be able to have the batting unit that bats at their very, very best throughout the whole batting order and just score one more run than the opposition.”

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have been dealt a significant setback ahead of IPL 2026, with key pacers Matheesha Pathirana and Harshit Rana struggling with injuries.Head coach Abhishek Nayar confirmed during the team’s pre-season press conference that Pathirana will miss the early phase of the tournament due to a calf strain and is expected to return only around mid-April. Rana’s injury has further complicated KKR’s pace-bowling plans, with the team still evaluating replacements.

Bravo backs India’s fast-bowling depth

Despite the setbacks, KKR mentor Dwayne Bravo struck an optimistic tone, highlighting India’s growing pool of fast bowlers.“In any tournament with any team, once you lose some of the key bowling options, these are things you plan for, but also things you have to accept. The good thing about Indian cricket, especially at the moment, is that there is a lot of depth,” Bravo Said“So there are some guys, as the coach mentioned, that we are definitely looking at to fill the spot – the likes of Umran Malik. These guys are also players who have represented the national team at some point in time and have also played in the IPL before. They are young, exciting talents. So, for me personally, I’m happy to work with this group of fast bowlers,” he added.Strong spin attack offers balanceWhile the pace attack faces challenges, Bravo expressed strong confidence in KKR’s spin department, led by Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy.“We have the best spin attack in the entire competition, so from a bowling point of view, I think we will be fine. Also, I can’t forget Vaibhav – what a fantastic season last year. He’s been the leader of the attack over the last two seasons as well. So, yes, we’ve lost some key players, but I feel comfortable [knowing that] we have what it takes to replace those guys,” Bravo stated confidence.KKR also have additional pace options in Akash Deep and Kartik Tyagi, giving them flexibility despite the injuries.

KKR’s early IPL 2026 schedule

KKR will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Mumbai Indians on March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium.Their upcoming fixtures include:vs Sunrisers Hyderabad – April 2 (Eden Gardens)vs Punjab Kings – April 6 (Eden Gardens)vs Lucknow Super Giants – April 9 (Eden Gardens)