Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler Kartik Tyagi has come to the defense of teammate and T20 World Cup winner Varun Chakravarthy, backing him to emerge stronger from his rough patch ahead of KKR’s clash against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Friday.
Chakravarthy held on a tough start to the new Indian Premier League seasonHe has been wicketless in the three games he has played so far, while conceding more than 11 runs in overs. Tyagi, who has himself bounced back from an injury-riddled start to his career, believes overcoming such phases is what ultimately shapes a cricketer.
“Every cricketer goes through a phase where performance drops. But such phases help you grow and become a better bowler,” Tyagi told reporters ahead of the GT clash. “Maybe this is the phase for Varun bhaiya and he will come out stronger.
CAN CHAKRAVARTHY END KKR’S STRIKES?
Chakravarthy’s struggles date back to India’s T20 World Cup campaign. The top-ranked T20 bowler started the tournament strongly, picking up nine wickets in the first four matches at an impressive economy rate of 5.17. However, his form dipped after that and he finished the tournament with 14 wickets at an economy rate of 9.25.
Against a resurgent Gujarat Titans sideKKR will be hoping that their front spinner can arrest his slump and help turn around his and the team’s fortunes. The franchise is having one of its worst starts to an IPL season, losing four of its opening matches. The only point they have managed so far has come from a win against Punjab Kings.
“I think it’s a mix of things. We were a bit unlucky in some games. It worked out for us in the last game. We have to show better intention going forward. Not winning hurts the whole team but we’re trying to do the best we can from here,” Tyagi added.
After their encounter against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, KKR will return home to take on a well-prepared Rajasthan Royals on Sunday, April 19.
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Published on:
17 Apr 2026 13:09 IST
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