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Varun Chakaravarthy had suffered a hairline toe fracture on his landing foot, which made his sit on the bench against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2026.
Kolkata Knight Riders' Varun Chakaravarthy missed the game against RCB due to a tow injury in IPL 2026. (PTI)In a huge boost, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) confirmed the availability of Varun Chakaravarthy in an all-important clash against Gujarat Titans on Saturday in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the iconic Eden Gardens. The Tamil Nadu spinner suffered a hairline toe fracture on his landing foot and looked doubtful against Gujarat Titans after missing their previous game.
With the KKR management stating on the eve of the game that a decision on Chakaravarthy would be taken before the game, there were a few concerned faces on his availability. KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane quashed all doubts and confirmed Chakaravarthy's availability for the game at the toss.
“Varun comes in, Varun is fit,” said Rahane after KKR were sent to bat first by Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill at the coin toss. Chakaravarthy has been one of the main pillars of KKR's turnaround in IPL 2026.
The mystery spinner went wicketless in his first three games before taking 10 wickets in his next four and played a crucial role in KKR's four wins on the trot. Earlier, KKR went winless in their first six games, including a washout against Punjab Kings at Eden Gardens during the initial stages.
Will Matheesha Pathirana make KKR debut?
Having missed the initial stages of IPL 2026 due to injury, Matheesha Pathirana joined the three-time champions mid-April. While everyone thought the Sri Lankan pacer would straightway be drafted into the playing XI, the KKR think-tank had other plans.
Bought for ₹18 crore, Pathirana had to wait on the sidelines as the KKR didn't want to tinker with the winning combination as his entry would mean KKR will have to bench one of their four overseas names. With Cameron Green, Rovman Powell and Sunil Narine had their spots fixed, KKR had to choose between Pathirana and Finn Allen.
The three-time champions went with the opening batter from New Zealand. However, things look a bit different against Gujarat Titans as KKR have named only three overseas players - Green, Allen and Narine - in their batting XI. With Pathirana among the impact subs, there is a huge possibility that the Sri Lankan fast bowler might make his IPL debut for KKR.
KKT vs GT playing XIs
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane(c), Finn Allen, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Cameron Green, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakaravarthy, Saurabh Dubey, Kartik Tyagi
Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Jos Buttler(w), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj
KKT vs GT impact subs
Gujarat Titans: Prasidh Krishna, Rahul Tewatia, Anuj Rawat, Kumar Kushagra, Glenn Phillips
Kolkata Knight Riders: Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Tejasvi Dahiya, Matheesha Pathirana, Vaibhav Arora
Catch the live updates from IPL 2026 with the complete IPL 2026 Schedule and the IPL 2026 Points Table. Also, know who are currently leading the charts in IPL 2026 Orange Cap and IPL 2026 Purple Cap.
About the Author
Koushik Paul
Koushik lives and breathes sports. After transitioning from his own aspirations of becoming a professional athlete, he successfully channeled that lifelong passion into a prolific career, documenting the action both from the sidelines and the editorial desk. With over eight years of industry experience, Koushik joined LiveMint as a Deputy Chief Content Producer in 2024, following impactful stints at Outlook India, India.com, Sportskeeda, Women’s CricZone, and OrissaPOST. A 2017 Journalism and Mass Communication graduate from Maharaja Manindra Chandra College, Kolkata, Koushik has reported on high-profile events including the FIFA U17 World Cup 2017, Ranji Trophy, FIH Pro League, FIH World League finals, the Indian Premier League, and Lionel Messi’s historic visit to Kolkata in 2025. <br><br> While he possesses a versatile command over all sports, he finds his niche in cricket, specializing in breaking news, long-form interviews, global sporting updates, and high-energy live blogs. Koushik’s professional perspective was further sharpened through the 2020 AIPS Young Reporters Programme, where he gained invaluable insights from renowned international journalists, including Keir Radnedge and Riccardo Romani from the United Kingdom, and Martin Mazur from Argentina. Currently based between Kolkata and Delhi, Koushik remains at the forefront of the breaking developments that shape the public sporting discourse. When he isn't tracking scores or deconstructing plays, he can be found exploring new landscapes on his travels or channeling his creative energy into the kitchen. <br><br> If you have a compelling story to share or know an individual who deserves the spotlight, please reach out via email at <a href="koushik.paul@htdigital.in">koushik.paul@htdigital.in</a>.
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