Why is Varun Chakravarthy not in KKR Playing XI tonight for KKR vs LSG IPL 2026 game? This has been a major question since the toss.
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Varun Chakravarthy injured his little finger on his left hand against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Kolkata. He sustained this injury while attempting a catch and couldn’t feature against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the previous game.
While the setback initially looked minor, Varun has not fully recovered yet and remains on the sidelines against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). While this is not his bowling finger, KKR still don’t want to rush him back and exacerbate his injury since this is still an early phase of IPL 2026.
They want him to recover fully before drafting him back into the XI, which remains a sound move, given he is one of their better bowlers. If he plays, his injury can take further blows, which might rule him out of the tournament completely and keep him out of action for a longer period.
KKR are already without all their main pacers and can’t afford to play a full tournament without their trump spinner. At the moment, there’s no timeline for his return, but the Knight Riders would hope he gets back as soon as possible.
Fortunately for KKR, Sunil Narine, who also missed the last game due to illness, has recovered just in time to feature against LSG. The Knight Riders didn’t feel his absence in the previous game against Punjab Kings (PBKS) since it was washed out due to rain, with only a few overs in.
The other spinner in the KKR setup is Anukul Roy, who is a left-arm spinner. He will act as an all-rounder, since he can bat a bit in the lower order to boost the batting depth.
Still, Varun Chakravarthy’s absence remains a big blow for the Knight Riders, especially in home games. He has played ample cricket at this venue and understands how to fetch wickets on flat decks, even if his recent form hasn’t been too encouraging.
The other options in the squad don’t offer the same quality as Varun, and he is their best bet to pick wickets in the middle overs. KKR would hope this break would help him come out of the rut and bowl those magical spells again.
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