Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) suffered consecutive defeats after their clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens on Thursday, April 2. If the team continues to stumble in the coming games, their fans will be having nightmares about last season.
After losing their opening encounter against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, the Ajinkya Rahane-led side will hope to rely on home advantage and get the better of the Orange Army. However, Ishan Kishan and Co. gave them a proper beating in the City of Joy, much to the disappointment of the passionate home fans.
Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 226/8 in their 20 overs before bowling out the Knights for just 161 runs. After this unbalanced clash, Ravichandran Ashwin said that the Kolkata-based franchise will have a lot of problems throughout the season. The former Indian off-spinner mentioned that the bowling department is quite a matter of concern for the Knights, as none of the bowlers have made a mark so far.
He said in 'Aash Ki Baat', “KKR are going to have a lot of problems this season. Forget about their batting, bowling etc. The way they played this game and the last game, I think they don't have a single bowler whom they can rely on for four overs. Sometimes you have one or two weak links who you want to support, but you don't have a single bowler who can guarantee you four overs.”
Ashwin also requested Varun Chakraborty To go back to the drawing board and rediscover his form ahead of the upcoming matches. The mystery spinner scored 79 runs in six overs in both the matches and failed to take a single wicket.
“What happens to a bowler is when he gets hit a lot, for Varun this is a time he has never seen before. This is a huge blow for him. When I see him, I feel his confidence is very low. If you are under so much pressure, there are ways to improve your practice. I think he needs to take some time. He has to increase his hand speed and try to do it all in the nets. You can't just go to the nets. And can't bowl spots on your own, where bowlers will pick you out easily and even score runs.
Ashwin feels KKR is not ready
Ashwin said Sunil Narine is the only bowler who seems capable of bowling his quota of four overs, but pointed out that the Caribbean spinner is far from his best. The former India off-spinner said that the three-time champions do not look ready for IPL 2026.
He said, “Sunil Narine seems to be the only bowler who can bowl the full four overs. But he is also not at his best. As I mentioned in the preview as well, KKR don't look ready this season.”
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