Varun Chakravarthy braved several injuries to keep playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League 2026, showing immense commitment towards the franchise. Assistant coach Shane Watson and head coach Abhishek Nayar had hailed Chakravarthy’s resilience to play despite battling injuries as he and KKR found a second win to their IPL 2026 campaign after a lacklustre start for the two.
KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane has now revealed that Chakravarthy was kept in the team sheet despite a fractured foot only after the medical staff had given him the required clearance. He added that the spinner was also pretty much committed to keep going. “See, our team’s physios and the physios of BCCI and the Indian team, there was a discussion among them. I don’t get involved in that at all. That’s their department. My department is how’s the player’s mindset, does the player want to play or not, how big is the risk?” Rahane told reporters after KKR’s final league match on Sunday.
“Yes, it’s important to consider the health factor, to stay fit. Your injuries shouldn’t increase. Yes, we think about that. But the physios felt that his injuries won’t increase,” he added.
Chakravarthy’s management coordinated by KKR, BCCI
A report in the news agency PTI added that Chakravarthy’s injury management had close coordination between the KKR medical staff and the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence and the Indian team physios. The IPL franchises have to inform the BCCI of the conditions of centrally-contracted players, especially if the risk of aggravating the injuries is present.
Rahane hailed Chakravarthy for playing despite the hairline fracture he picked up during KKR’s clash against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. “Varun was eager to play. And he gets all the credit because in that injury, you show how important the team is to you. Varun was completely ready. Yes, we had to give him a break in one match because he was in a lot of pain. But he thought he could play. That communication came from him,” Rahane said.
“When a player says he can play, it sends a positive message to the physios and the team that he wants to play. He showed his eagerness to play. And the injury risk management was done by the physios. They thought the injury wouldn’t increase,” he added.
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