A crack in his toe, barely seen, didn’t stop Varun Chakravarthy from bowling deep into IPL 2026. Though he limped between overs, the KKR spinner stayed in the game. Pain showed in his steps, yet delivery after delivery came out sharp. Reports now confirm what many suspected: he played hurt. The injury, small but stubborn, lingered through crucial matches. Still, he took the field each time the team needed him.
Midway through KKR’s surprising sprint to playoff chances, Varun Chakravarthy started shouldering a heavier load in those quieter middle overs. Despite visible physical strain, he still stands among the top choices when wickets are needed. Not long ago, head coach Abhishek Nayar mentioned something few knew: pre-game injections have kept him on the field. Pain fades slowly, yet there he is, spinning deliveries under pressure.
Limping between deliveries, Varun Chakravarthy moved stiffly across the pitch, lingering in quieter zones far from the game’s core action. Fans watching online grew uneasy, post after post asked if the team might be trading his future health for a few extra points this season. Though he stayed mostly out of play, eyes stayed fixed on how he stepped, turned, shifted weight.
Fans call for BCCI intervention for Varun Chakravarthy
Varun is playing with a hairline fracture and commentators are praising him for playing through pain which is ridiculous. If you have guts, call out the franchise for playing a centrally contracted player despite injury and lack of control of BCCI over it.#KKRvMI pic.twitter.com/WVO7DHzncq
— Cricket Vibes_Arjav (@IamArjav) May 21, 2026
Varun Chakravarthy is clearly limping. Struggling to pitch the ball in the right areas. Better he shouldn’t play #KKRvsMI
— SREEKAR nyalkalkar 🇮🇳 🇦🇺 🦘 🐨 (@nyalkalkars27) May 20, 2026
Some supporters pushed for BCCI involvement, given that Chakravarthy has a central contract with Team India and still holds weight in the squad. Not long ago, he topped the T20I bowling charts while sharing the top spot for most wickets during the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Still, the workload thing is watched closely by the CoE. Devajit Saikia, speaking recently as BCCI secretary, made one point clear: team choices in IPL aren’t something the board steps into. Injuries, though, get attention through shared check-ins.
“So far as IPL is concerned, franchises take care of the injuries and fitness of the players. Of course, physios from CoE are also monitoring them, workload as well as planning on how to keep them fit,” Saikia said.
“The monitoring is there, but when IPL is going on, we cannot interfere too much. Had it been an Indian team situation, our control would have been more. Now we are giving freedom to franchises to take a call on the players. We will definitely look at their fitness level when it comes to selecting the national team,” he added.
Even with injuries nagging him, Varun Chakravarthy pulled through with strong showings this year. Ten wickets across ten games, proof that he stays sharp under pressure. Two Player of the Match titles already sit in his bag from IPL 2026 clashes.
It’s worth noting that KKR lost just once in their past seven games, and it was the match where Chakravarthy wasn’t on the field, a quiet reminder of his role in their push toward the playoffs.
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