Varun Chakaravarthy sent a stern warning to all the other nine teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday beat Rajasthan Royals to register their first win of the 2026 season. Chasing 156 runs, KKR were in a situation where they lost half their team in the 11th over. But it was an unbeaten stand between Rinku Singh and Anukul Roy that had 76 that saw KKR race home with three balls to spare.
After losing five of their first six games in IPL 2026, it was a do-or-die situation for KKR. With this win, KKR climbed to the ninth position in the points table. The win certainly gave KKR a much-needed boost of confidence and Chakaravarthy was quick to reply that the three-time champions had not lost all hope despite their poor start to their campaign.
“We don’t know where we’ll finish but we’re just saying we’re not underdogs. We’re just not coming here to participate. We’re here to win every game. We’re here to put up a strong fight for the trophy. We still have hope and I think we’ll do well,” Chakaravarthy, who was named Man of the Match, said after the match.
‘Thanks to the entire coaching staff’
Like KKR, Chakaravarthy too came into the party in his usual form with three wickets for just 14 runs in his four overs. KKR’s bowling duo alongside Sunil Narine tightened the screws on the opposition after openers Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal gave Rajasthan Royals a flying start under the scorching heat in Kolkata.
Chakaravarthy revealed that he still has two fractures in his left hand (which occurred during the fight against Sunrisers Hyderabad). “It’s a bit tough but I’m just trying to get through it,” added the enigma, who was quick to thank the star-studded coaching staff for keeping the players positive despite plenty of outside noise.
“Before I talk about myself, I think I have to give credit to the whole coaching staff because it’s been a tough few weeks of games and things haven’t gone our way and there’s been too much outside noise and the head coach and the other coaches as well, they’ve never let that noise affect us. We’ve been in our own process. Even if it’s just one win, it’s very sweet,” he added.
KKR’s chances to qualify for IPL 2026 playoffs
With three points from seven games, KKR need to win at least seven of their remaining eight games to reach the 16-point mark to qualify for the playoffs. While there have been instances in the past where teams have reached the last four on 12 points, KKR would not want to rely on other teams. KKR next game Lucknow Super Giants on April 26.
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