Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Abhishek Nayar has praised the team’s lead Indian spinner, Varun Chakaravarthy, for playing through ‘quite a few’ injuries in IPL 2026. Nayar said that most cricketers
are always dealing with one knock or another and are rarely 100% fit, but not all of them love their IPL franchises enough to dedicate their bodies to the cause, despite the pain.
IPL 2026
| Schedule | Results | Orange Cap | Purple CapChakaravarthy picked up a hairline fracture in his foot after getting hit by a ball against the Delhi Capitals. He tried to shake it off, but KKR rested him against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. When that match saw them end a four-match winning streak, Chakaravarthy returned to the 11 and oversaw two more wins. But when he looked in obvious discomfort while bowling, a controversy erupted.
Some journalists questioned the role the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had in protecting Chakaravarthy from being over-played. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said that the board was ‘powerless’.
“I just feel that when a player actually commits to playing when he is sometimes not at 100%, which I think most cricketers aren’t,” Nayar said at the pre-match press conference for KKR’s last group-stage game against the Delhi Capitals on Sunday. “If you ask most cricketers, there will be an injury here and there. But for him to go through that and start the season on a topsy-turvy curve, come back into form, have injuries. He’s broken quite a few limbs in this tournament already. Before that, 2 fingers, and now his toe. But I think I always say the toughest characters learn to go past pain and adversity, and that’s what Varun Chakravarty is,” he said.
Nayar added that Chakaravarthy may appear soft-spoken externally, but is internally driven and deeply invested in the team, fully aware of his importance as a long-serving ‘franchise player’.
“He’s very emotional when it comes to this team, very emotional when it comes to everyone associated with this team. And I feel that’s the thought process beyond him actually wanting to do it and not having to force him to do it. So I think that’s a big challenge sometimes, and players are not keen to do it, but he’s been keen, very keen to do it for the love that he has for the city and the franchise,” he said.
Chakaravarthy isn’t having his best season, but has been an important cog in keeping KKR alive in the playoff race with ten wickets at an average of 32.50 and an economy rate of 8.78.
