Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) could still be without the services of their premier leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy for their critical IPL 2026 match against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 9, Thursday at the Eden Gardens Stadium. According to a journalist of RevSportz, the veteran leg-spinner still has a bandage on his left finger and is highly doubtful for Thursday’s clash at their home turf.
Why did Varun Chakravarthy miss the game against the Punjab Kings?
The Madhya Pradesh-born cricketer was ruled out of the game against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Eden Gardens in the 11th hour. It had emerged that Chakravarthy had hit his hand while catching practice before the game, rendering him unavailable for the clash. To make things worse, Sunil Narine was also ruled out of the fixture after an illness, depriving the Knight Riders of bowling options even further.
As for Chakravarthy’s performances, he has looked off colour, taking no wicket in the two matches and notably conceded 48 runs in his four wicketless overs. Nevertheless, the three-time champions seemingly escaped a defeat against the Punjab Kings as they had already slumped to 25/2 in 3.4 overs when the rain interrupted and it never resumed.
Cameron Green set to resume bowling against the Lucknow Super Giants
Meanwhile, the Knight Riders could still receive a boost in their bowling department as Cameron Green is set to resume bowling in their forthcoming game. The Aussie all-rounder entered the auction and became the costliest overseas player in the history, fetching a jaw-dropping amount of ₹25.20 crore. However, Green has seemingly felt the weight of the expectations as showcased by his scores of 18, 2 and 4 in the three innings played so far. While the 26-year-old needs to fire with the bat, the Knight Riders will want him to step up with the ball.
As far as his bowling goes, Cricket Australia had issued the below statement on March 30:
“Cameron has a lower-back injury, which is being managed, but requires him to abstain from bowling for a short period. Cameron is currently rebuilding his bowling loads in India with a view to return in around 10-12 days’ time.”
But ESPN Cricinfo has reported that the 26-year-old is ready to bowl in a competitive situation now. Green not being able to bowl has affected KKR’s plans, given their pace bowling unit has suffered with injuries to Akash Deep and Harshit Rana along with Mustafizur Rahman getting withdrawn before the tournament.
