In Eden Gardens contest, Narine,Chakravarthy’s woes against SRH need to end for KKR to succeed
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will rely heavily on their spin duo, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, as they face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on April 3 at Eden Gardens. The match is set to be played on a “dry” surface designed to favor spin, but the two bowlers are yet to make a significant impact in IPL 2025. With KKR currently under scrutiny for their spinners’ lack of effectiveness, the pressure is on Narine and Chakravarthy to deliver.
Narine’s record against SRH has been concerning, managing only 14 wickets in 25 matches, with his last standout performance against them coming nearly a decade ago. In the last five years, he has gone wicketless in five out of nine encounters against SRH and has taken just one wicket in the other four matches. Chakravarthy, however, has had relatively better success, claiming 11 wickets in 11 matches against SRH while maintaining an economy rate of 8.29.
In IPL 2025 so far, Chakravarthy has taken three wickets in three games, while Narine has picked up just one in two matches. With KKR’s curator pointing out their struggles in the season opener, the duo will need to step up against SRH’s formidable batting lineup to turn their fortunes around.