‘Novelty factor is out….’: Ashwins bold take on Varun Chakravarthy ahead of IPL 2026

The three-time champions KKR will start off their campaign against the five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in Mumbai on March 29. A big concern for the team would be the form of Varun. Even though the mystery spinner finished as the joint highest wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup with 14 scalps at an average of 20.50, it was a mixed bag tournament for him. In the group stage matches, he dominated with nine wickets in four matches, including a four-wicket haul and had an economy rate of over 5. But from Super Eights to the final, Varun leaked runs at the economy rate of over 10 and took just five wickets in five wickets.