'Takes away that edge' - Sanjay Bangar's explains how Varun Chakaravarthy's potential absence could trouble KKR in clash vs RCB

Published - 13 May 2026, 16:44 IST | Updated - 13 May 2026, 17:08 IST

Sanjay Bangar opined that if Varun Chakaravarthy misses Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) clash against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), it might directly influence how skipper Ajinkya Rahane uses Sunil Narine.

Chakaravarthy could be ruled out of the upcoming clash at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Wednesday, May 13, after aggravating his leg injury. Bangar believes that if Chakaravarthy is unavailable, Rahane would not be able to use Narine in the power play and would have to hold him back for the middle overs.

"That has a direct bearing on whether Sunil Narine can be used in the powerplay. If Varun is playing and Anukul [Roy] has been playing all the games, then the deployment of bowling is much easier for Ajinkya Rahane. But, if Varun is not available, then he may have to hold back Narine for the later part of the innings in terms of the middle overs and after that. So that takes away that edge that KKR had so far in the games that they played," Bangar said while speaking on ESPNcricinfo Timeout.

Chakaravarthy failed to pick up a wicket in the first three matches he played this season. However, the Tamil Nadu spinner bounced back tremendously, bagging 10 wickets in his next four outings.

Ambati Rayudu opined that KKR shouldn't play Matheesha Pathirana in place of Chakaravarthy, as it would force them to alter their team combination. Instead, the six-time IPL champion suggested that an Indian speedster could come in place of Chakaravarthy and allow the Knights to persist with the same overseas quartet that played the last two matches.

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"I think they can go with an Indian pacer because, if you see the last game in Raipur, spinners did not pick up too many wickets. So they might actually go with just two spinners and go with an extra Indian pacer and keep the batting order intact. You need some experience down the batting order. Rovman Powell can do the finishing job along with Rinku Singh," Rayudu said.