IPL 2026: Varun Chakravarthy rattles SRH with three-wicket haul
What's the story
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) were bowled out for 165 runs in their Indian Premier League 2026 match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Hyderabad on Sunday. The innings started with a bang as Travis Head scored a quick-fire half-century, but the team lost wickets at regular intervals after Varun Chakravarthy dismissed Head. Chakravarthy went on to claim a three-fer as SRH went from 105/1 to 165 all-out. Here we look at Chakravarthy's sensational spell.
Spell
Chakravarthy got the prize scalp of Head
Despite a strong start, SRH's batting order crumbled under pressure. They reached 105/1 in just 8.5 overs, with Head and Ishan Kishan (42) leading the charge. However, once Chakravarthy dismissed Head for 61, things took a turn for the worse. Heinrich Klaasen was caught by Rovman Powell off Cameron Green's bowling, while Sunil Narine got his 200th IPL wicket by cleaning up Salil Arora for two runs.
Bowling brilliance
KKR's bowlers shine in unison
KKR's bowlers put on a stellar show, with Chakravarthy leading the charge. He dismissed Aniket Verma for six runs and Smaran Ravichandran for 10 runs in quick succession. Anukul Roy also claimed Pat Cummins's wicket, leaving SRH reeling at 156/8. The innings came to an end when Harshal Patel was caught by Vaibhav Arora off Kartik Tyagi's bowling after scoring just six runs.
IPL stats
A look at Chakravarthy's numbers
Chakravarthy led the charge for KKR, claiming three wickets for 36 runs in his four overs. As per ESPNcricinfo, this spell took his IPL tally to 110 wickets from 91 matches at an average of 23.70. His economy rate is 7.67. In the ongoing season, he has claimed 10 wickets from seven matches at 22.20. Against SRH, the spinner has completed 17 wickets from 15 matches at an economy of 8.94.
Campaign
A season of two halves for the spinner
As per Cricbuzz, Chakravarthy could not claim a single wicket in his first three outings this season. His economy in these games was a poor 11.66. However, in his last four games, the spinner has taken 10 wickets at an economy of 7.31. Overall, the bowler has raced to 207 T20 wickets in his 157th match. The KKR mystery spinner has a brilliant average of 21.31 and a sub-7.7 economy rate.