IPL 2026: 'Injury' makes another KKR bowler uncertain to play vs LSG today

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is yet to get their first win after playing three matches in IPL 2026. In their last match against the Punjab Kings at home, they claimed a point after the match was called off due to rain. Ahead of their fourth match, today against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), there is uncertainty over a star bowler of KKR. 

In the last game, which was against the Punjab Kings, KKR made a couple of bold changes in their playing combination. They put out two of their star spinners, Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine, from their playing eleven, and dared to play with an inexperienced bowling line-up against the Shreyas Iyer-led team.

Ajinkya Rahane explained why Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy missed the match vs PBKS.

At the toss, KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane informed that Varun Chakravarthy was not in the playing combination because of an injury. According to Rahane, Varun injured himself while fielding in the Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad match, and Narine had to drop out as he was not fit to play.

“Two forced changes for us. Varun Chakravarty, unfortunately got injured while taking the catch in the last game, and Sunil Narine is sick. So, in place of Varun, Navdeep Saini comes in, in place of Sunil Rovman Powell comes in,” Ajinkya Rahane said during the toss.

Both Varun and Sunil are the two pillars of the KKR bowling line-up. Despite the poor form, the Indian spin wizard is still considered one of the most reliable bowlers in the squad. But will Varun be able to play today’s match?

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KKR provided fresh updates on Sunil and Varun ahead of the LSG match

Ahead of the April 9^th match against the Lucknow Super Giants, the Kolkata-based franchise shared some crucial updates on the star spinner duo. The franchise informed that the Caribbean spinner has joined the training with the team and conducted both batting and bowling sessions in the nets. While the Indian star, who injured his little finger, was also a part of the training, but reimaned under the observation of the medical team.

Sunil had fallen ill on the morning of our match vs PBKS, ‘cause of which he wasn’t a part of the XI. He has since been feeling better, and trained with the team both yesterday and today - batted and bowled. Varun had injured the little finger on his left hand while taking Abhishek’s catch in the match vs SRH. The medical team has been working closely with him. He bowled his full set at training today." KKR provided the crucial updates ahead of today’s match at the Eden Gardens.

The spinner duo lacked form in the previous IPL 2026 matches

So far, Sunil Narine, a cornerstone of the team, has missed the flair in the previous matches of the ongoing season. In two matches, the 37-year-old claimed only one wicket for an economy rate of 9.85. 

On the other side, Varun Chakravarthy, another ‘mystery spinner’ of Knight Rider, has been struggling with his form since the Super 8 phase of the T20 World Cup 2026. He conceded 48 runs in his four overs against the Mumbai Indians, and against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, he gave away 31 runs in just two overs.