This season, the batting of the Kolkata Knight Riders has been anything than convincing. Their opening partnership total was the lowest of any team going into the match against the Delhi Capitals, and their middle order did not fare any better, with the lowest average of their Nos. 4–8. They did, however, rise to the occasion against DC on Tuesday, April 29, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, putting up a team batting show to end with 204. Nevertheless, captain Ajinkya Rahane believed they were lacking by 15 runs. However, KKR’s bowling, particularly their spin department, has kept them afloat in the game despite their batting problems.
At the end of Match 48 of IPL 2025, KKR’s spinners have the highest wickets’ tally (27), best average (23.33), best economy (7.24), best dot ball percentage (36.2) and the least boundary percentage (12.83) among all teams. Among their spinners, Varun Chakaravarthy has been the standout performer since joining the KKR setup, while Sunil Narine – a consistent presence since 2012 – has taken on more of a holding role while the Indian spinner has dismantled the opposition batting line-ups in recent years.
Varun CV and Sunil Narine in the previous IPL cycle
| Player (Year) | Matches | Wickets | Ave | Econ | SR | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Varun (2024) | 15 | 21 | 19.14 | 8.04 | 14.20 | 3/16 |
| Narine (2024) | 15 | 17 | 21.64 | 6.69 | 19.40 | 2/22 |
| Varun (2023) | 14 | 20 | 21.45 | 8.14 | 15.80 | 4/15 |
| Narine (2023) | 14 | 11 | 34.81 | 7.97 | 26.10 | 3/33 |
| Varun (2022) | 11 | 6 | 55.33 | 8.51 | 39.00 | 1/22 |
| Narine (2022) | 14 | 9 | 34.66 | 5.57 | 37.30 | 2/21 |
In addition, Varun has taken the most wickets for KKR this season, with Narine coming in at number four. In the IPL since 2020, Varun has taken three or more wickets in an innings nine times, whereas Narine has done so five times during that span. However, occasionally the roles are reversed, with the West Indian emerging as the more notable performer.
It occurred during the game against the Chennai Super Kings earlier in the season. Before Narine intervened and really destroyed CSK with his three-for, which included Rahul Tripathi, Ravindra Jadeja, and MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali took an early wicket and finished with economical numbers of 1-20. In that match, Varun also took a few wickets. DC was the target of a similar script. Anukul Roy made the initial breakthrough before Narine took over in a variety of ways, including using the ball, the pitch, and his position as stand-in captain to force the home team to concede the game. Varun, meanwhile, contributed to this match by taking two wickets.
KL Rahul hit a four off Varun to help his team reach 58/2 after six overs, as DC accelerated their pace despite losing a few wickets in the powerplay. Then came Narine’s initial effect on the field. Rahul attempted a single as Faf du Plessis played a flip to short fine, but Narine was fast to the ball, accurate, and quick to release it to force a crucial run-out. However, DC bounced back swiftly from that setback, as Axar Patel and Du Plesiss put on a strong 76-run partnership.
Despite the favorable matchup for the bowler, Axar lofted Narine for a six over long-on. Varun departed for 16 in the ninth over, but Du Plessis punished him in the next over as the South African hit two fours and a six. At the midway point, Axar smashed his second six off Narine, pushing DC to 97/3. In the following three overs, boundaries persisted, as DC established a solid position despite Rahane’s finger injury.
Since vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer was substituted after the first innings and the actual captain was injured, Narine was left to make decisions on the field. DC needed 69 off 41 at that point after Varun had gone for 31 runs off three overs and Narine, who had scored 0-19 in two overs, returned to the attack and was hit for another six by Axar. He made the snap decision to alter the angle and took a vital wicket at 43, bringing down the DC skipper. He defeated the dangerous Tristan Stubbs in the same over, bringing DC down to 138/5. The half-centurion Du Plessis was Narine’s third victim in an attempt to go overboard, and it quickly became 146/6.
However, did the DC hitters make the right decision in pursuing the KKR spinner at that point? Vipraj Nigam clarified the reasoning behind DC’s hostile intentions. “We had intended to go after their top two spinners from the start. Additionally, we had successfully targeted them in the first two overs. Targeting two good bowlers was supposed to increase our overs (from other bowlers) or bring in one additional bowler.
“It was the same, but moments like these happen, where shot selection (goes wrong) or something like that. And then it happened that our set players got out. It was such a wicket, against such a bowling line-up, it is very difficult (for a new batter) to come out and play shots immediately. So if the set players kept playing, we would have easily won the match,” explained Nigam.
Narine, however, was far from done. When the batter attempted to reverse-sweep Varun, he took Ashutosh Sharma’s catch at backward point. Mitchell Starc also fell in the same over. Following Nigam’s valiant effort to push the equation to 25 in the final over, Narine chose to pass the ball to Russell, who delivered.
DC had the highest scoring rate (11.26) in the death overs (16–20) this season going into the match. However, they were unsettled by the prompt dismissals of Axar, Stubbs, and Du Plessis. All three were significant wickets: Stubbs has been the best finisher since the previous campaign, while Axar and Du Plessis were set. However, Narine fundamentally altered the course of the game.
Narine had already set the tone with the bat, scoring a 16-ball 27 in a 48-run opening stand with Rahmanullah Gurbaz, which also happened to be KKR’s highest partnership for the first wicket this season. This was in addition to the crucial strikes, Rahul’s run-out, and some wise field decisions.
The player of the match for his overall efforts was unquestionably Narine, who merely responded with “self pride” when asked what motivates him. “Always want to be able to give the captain an option of going for you in a pressure situation,” he continued, speaking to the official broadcaster. Even without training, you must put in the effort if you want to be that player. It is understandable why he has received the Most Valuable Player award three times, most recently in 2024 during KKR’s championship run.
Narine may not come across as the most emotive player, but looks can be deceiving. And few understand that better than his long-time teammate Russell. “He’s very active when he’s on the field. A lot of guys maybe misjudge him. He’s a quiet individual when he is in a certain environment, where he’s not comfortable. But on the park, he’s a leader. He’s been more talkative over the last five years, and it just goes to show that when you express yourself, you enjoy the game and your performance shows as well.”
