Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has expressed serious concern over Kolkata Knight Riders’ alarming slide in IPL 2026, admitting that the franchise appears short of answers after another disappointing outing. Speaking after KKR’s defeat to Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk, Ashwin painted a worrying picture of a side struggling for direction.

KKR remain winless after five matches and are currently rooted to the bottom of the points table. Despite winning the toss against CSK, they failed to capitalise, conceding a competitive 192/5 before crumbling under pressure in the chase. The batting unit, once considered explosive, looked completely out of sync as they slumped to 90/6, undone largely by spin.

“I am honestly a little sad for KKR. I don’t know where their answer is going to come from. They are looking very, very grim,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. “Hopefully, things might improve once Matheesha Pathirana joins the squad.”

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One of KKR’s biggest concerns has been the dip in form of Varun Chakravarthy. Once known for his mystery and control, the spinner has struggled to make an impact this season. Returning from a finger injury, Varun went wicketless again, finishing with 0/26 in three overs.

“I feel sorry for Varun as well. He looks lost at the moment, and his confidence seems low,” Ashwin observed. “His strength was always his mystery, but now batters seem to be reading him better. Maybe he needs to take a short break and come back stronger.”

Ashwin also pointed to KKR’s poor powerplay performance as a decisive factor in the loss. In modern T20 cricket, the first six overs often set the tone, and KKR have consistently fallen behind in that phase.

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“Nowadays, T20 games are largely decided in the powerplay. CSK maximised those overs, while KKR managed only half of that output. That’s where the game slipped away,” he explained.

With confidence dipping and combinations unsettled, KKR face an uphill task going forward. For now, they will be hoping that fresh faces like Pathirana and a reset in approach can help them turn their campaign around before it’s too late.