Decoding Varun Chakravarthy's stellar IPL record against RCB
What's the story
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a highly-anticipated opening clash of the 2024 Indian Premier League.
The match will be played on March 22 at Kolkata's Eden Gardens.
KKR's star spinner Varun Chakravarthy is among the players to watch out for.
He will enter IPL 2025 on the back of some impressive performances for Team India.
Let's decode his returns against RCB.
DYK
Most wickets vs RCB since 2020
As per ESPNcricinfo, Chakravarthy played his maiden IPL game vs RCB in 2020.
He has since taken 14 wickets across 10 games against the team at an average of 18.28.
His economy of 6.79 is also mighty impressive. This includes a four-wicket haul.
No other bowler has taken more wickets against the Challengers since 2020.
Jasprit Bumrah trails Chakravarthy with 13 scalps.
Memorable spell
The majestic four-fer vs RCB
Chakravarthy was pivotal to KKR's win over RCB in the IPL 2023 clash at the Eden Gardens.
He dismissed the likes of Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, and Harshal Patel to turn the match for KKR.
He sent back Akash Deep to complete his four-fer.
The then 31-year-old conceded just 15 runs in 3.4 overs as KKR successfully defended 204/7, bowling out the Royal Challengers for 123.
Performance metrics
Chakravarthy's strike rate and best bowling figures
Chakravarthy has been phenomenal in the IPL with an incredible bowling strike rate of just 19.13, as per ESPNcricinfo.
This means he takes a wicket roughly every 19 balls.
His record includes 83 wickets across 70 matches at an economy of 7.56.
His best bowling in the tournament is a phenomenal 5/20.
This season, he will look to improve these numbers further against RCB at Eden Gardens on Saturday evening.
Prominence
Here's how Chakravarthy rose to prominence
During the IPL 2020, Chakravarthy's mystery spin was hailed by several experts.
He snapped up 17 and 18 wickets in the 2020 and 2021 editions, respectively.
The same earned him a maiden India cap in 2021. The spinner made his India comeback last year after a three-year hiatus.
In the 2024-25 season, the spinner claimed 31 wickets from just 12 T20Is at 11.25.
He was also instrumental to India's recent Champions Trophy triumph.