An impromptu poll into Kolkata Knight Riders’ prospects this season is sure to reveal Varun Chakravarthy as the most valuable player in their line-up though Sunil Narine and Andre Russell could walk away with the game-changer and most popular player awards, respectively.

The crowd response at the Knights Unplugged 2.0 on Wednesday evening provided a teaser to what will be witnessed at Eden Gardens right through the season.

Varun’s recent exploits have enriched his stakes, raising high hopes in the minds of the Knights supporters.

The unpredictability surrounding a mystery spinner has thrived since the advent of T20 cricket. The doosra had been replaced by the carrom ball but the deceptive variations continued to perplex batters across generations.

That is perhaps because four overs in a T20 contest has allowed the mystery to survive since it doesn’t always demand consistency.

Varun though has been an exception to this list. His success in the 50-over format has set him apart from the likes of Rashid Khan and Sunil Narine. But can he maintain his magic, considering the proliferation of technology in modern cricket? IPL 2025 will provide a sneak peek into his eminence so as not to become predictable.

The leg-spinner is adept at playing his cards close to his chest. He does not reveal the mystery surrounding him even to his teammates.

His uncanny release point always keeps the batters guessing, often creating illusions in their minds. But he remains discreet about letting the secrets out of his bag. A fact acknowledged by his India captain Rohit Sharma during the recent Champions Trophy.

“Net mein toh humko zyada variations dalta nahi hai woh. Ek hi tareeke se ball dalta hai. Ho sakta hai woh humko bhi nahi dikhana chahta ki usike paas kya hai. (He doesn’t bowl a lot of variations in the nets. He bowls one type of delivery only. Perhaps, he doesn’t want even us to know what he’s got),” Rohit quipped while mentioning
he had no issues if his trump card didn’t wish to spill his magic tricks.

Seven seasons into the IPL, but Varun still remains an enigma. Innovation in technology has often helped unravel a bowler’s guile, but he is still one of the most difficult puzzles for even the best in the business.

Varun, along with Narine, remains KKR’s best weapon when it comes to restricting the opposition. In this IPL, how Knights captain Ajinkya Rahane uses him will be of great interest.

At one point he had some 18 variations before he trimmed it down to four to suit his needs. Since his move to KKR in 2020, he has been phenomenal. Perhaps getting the opportunity to bowl with Narine also had an effect on his craft.

Varun is a leg-spinner who bowls the googlies to cripple the batters. He bowls it from the side of his hand, unlike others who bowl it from the back of the hand, and so is difficult to pick. Even the ones which straighten have fetched him lots of wickets in the IPL. Lately, the switch from a largely sidespin release to one with more overspin has been of great help. Being able to create the dip at an alarming pace is his biggest asset.

Varun has been the highest wicket-taker in the last two IPL seasons but that
hasn’t stopped him from putting in the hard work. He can spend hours analysing
footage of batters to identify their weaknesses.

If he can maintain his mojo, KKR will again be hard to stop.