Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mystery spinner. Varun Chakraborty has shared his insights on the Impact Player rule that has sparked a debate among cricketers and experts in the ongoing IPL 2024. Rohit Sharma was already not in favor of the rule
He asked the bowlers to stop “crying” about the batting rule in the IPL.
The Impact Player rule has been heavily criticized by players like Mohammed Siraj of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), who argues that this rule makes the game difficult for bowlers and all-rounders in the IPL. What is noteworthy is that this rule is not part of international cricket norms.
Reacting to the ongoing debate, Varun Chakravarthy gave his perspective and stressed the need to embrace the uniqueness of the IPL. His comments came after he helped Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat Delhi Capitals (DC) by 7 wickets in match number 47 of the ongoing IPL 2024 on April 29.
However much the bowlers cry under the Impact Player rule: Varun Chakravarthy
Chakravarthy highlighted teams’ evolving strategies to utilize the impact player rule more effectively this season. The spinner said teams take an aggressive approach right from the start so bowlers need to embrace the challenge rather than cry about the impact on their game.
Varun Chakravarthy said at the post-match press conference after the KKR vs DC match: “Somewhere we have to accept that this IPL is different and we have to move on. The impact player was there last season, the main thing is that teams used him better this season. They want to attack from the start, no matter how much the bowlers cry, you have to rise to the challenge.”
Meanwhile, Chakravarthy was a hero with the ball for KKR as he finished with impressive figures of 3/16 in his quota of 4 overs, helping the hosts beat Delhi Capitals (DC) to 153/9 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata to limit. He felt that DC’s decision to bat first cost them the IPL 2024 match against KKR on Monday.
Regarding the pitch, the player of the match spinner remarked: “Wickets became very quiet in the second innings. In any case, it was good to bowl in the first innings, the pitching wasn’t much help either. This pitch was a bit more spin-friendly, but in other games it didn’t help as much.”
Varun Chakravarthy talks about the challenging conditions at Eden Gardens and SRK’s kind gesture
Furthermore, Chakravarthy pointed out that the difficult bowling conditions in Kolkata were only due to the high humidity, which made it difficult to keep a grip on the ball. The KKR spinner also revealed that the current humidity has resulted in sweaty fingers, something that hasn’t happened in recent years.
Despite these conditions, Varun avoided using them as an excuse for any difficulties he faced during the match. At the end, the mystery spinner also revealed KKR co-owner and Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan’s heartwarming gesture after he bowled in his 3 overs during KKR’s 8-wicket defeat against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the final IPL match of 2024 Calcutta lost 46 runs.
Chakravarthy said goodbye with the words: “The last game was a very hard pill to swallow. We had discussions with the management and the bowling coach. SRK came to me yesterday and spoke to me personally. He said, “Whatever happens in the IPL, don’t take it personally, don’t doubt yourself.”