Varun Chakravarthy vs Nicholas Pooran in IPL: Decoding the stats
What's the story
The 68th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season will see the Kolkata Knight Riders face the Lucknow Super Giants. It is a must-win clash for both teams but a lot more is at stake for LSG, who aim for a top-two finish. LSG will hope that Nicholas Pooran fires for them, whereas Varun Chakravarthy will look to perform well. Here's more.
Key battle
Pooran has fallen prey to Varun two times
Varun has reinvented himself this season with 19 wickets, whereas Pooran has also shone for LSG. However, the southpaw struggles against Varun's mystery. The KKR spinner has dismissed Pooran twice in five IPL meetings, while he has scored 28 runs off 20 deliveries against him. He has slammed two maximums and two fours against Varun with a strike rate of 140.
Leg spinners
How Pooran fares against leg spinners in the IPL?
Pooran relishes playing leg spinners and the southpaw likes to take the aerial route against them. He has slammed 218 runs against leggies off 140 deliveries in the IPL. He owns a strike rate of 155.71 against these bowlers. Pooran has fall prey to them nine times in 29 IPL innings. Overall in T20s, he owns a strike rate of 150.11 against leggies.
Chakravarthy
Varun's record against left-handed batters in the IPL
Varun is someone who likes big challenges and uses his variations to outfox batters. Last season was a blip for him but this season, he has returned to his best in the IPL. He has scalped 21 wickets against lefties in 52 IPL innings and has restricted the batters to maintain a strike rate of only 118.96. Lefties have played with caution against Varun.
Middle overs
Their numbers in the IPL middle overs
Pooran is crucial in the middle overs (7-16) for LSG and his numbers tell that story. He has slammed 824 runs in this phase in 45 IPL innings. He owns a strike rate of 154.88 in this period. Varun has scalped 43 wickets in this phase in 55 innings at an average of 22.95. He also restricts batters from scoring runs freely (SR: 115.28).
Stats
A look at their overall numbers
Pooran has compiled 1,212 runs in 60 IPL matches with an impressive strike rate of 155.58. This season, he has smoked 300 runs at a strike rate of 170.45 and has been crucial in run chases for LSG. Varun has scalped 61 wickets in 55 IPL appearances at 25.61 IPL 2023 has been his best season, having claimed 19 wickets in 13 matches.