The IPL 2024 clash between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Monday, April 8, marked a turning point for KKR, with Varun Chakravarthy acknowledging their misjudgment of the playing conditions. This game witnessed the end of KKR’s three-match-winning streak as they suffered a seven-wicket defeat at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Despite a promising start with 56 runs in the powerplay, KKR struggled to maintain momentum, ultimately settling for a below-par total of 137 for nine in their allotted 20 overs. Reflecting on the game, Chakravarthy admitted that their assessment of the pitch fell short, noting its low bounce, which made it challenging to execute shots effectively.

“We could have assessed the pitch better because it was staying low. It was tough to connect the shots, but I felt 160 would have been a par score,” remarked Varun Chakravarthy during the post-match press conference, as quoted by India Today.

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Further elaborating on the pitch conditions, Chakravarthy emphasized that despite initially appearing flat, the behaviour of the track was quite different. He opined that a score in the range of 160-170 would have been competitive under the circumstances.

“When I saw the pitch, I felt it was flat, but the way the track behaved was totally different. That can happen on any ground. 160-170 would have been a fighting total. There was a lot of dew in the second innings and bowling to Dube was tough. The seam was very wet, and I could not grip the ball much,” added Varun Chakravarthy.

Following the match, Shreyas Iyer, KKR’s captain, reflected on their performance, acknowledging the team’s failure to capitalize on the strong start in the powerplay. He highlighted the challenge of adapting to the changing conditions, particularly in scoring runs after the initial overs.

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Despite the setback, Kolkata retains their second position in the table with six points and a net run rate of +1.528 from three wins out of four games. Their upcoming challenge awaits against KL Rahul’s Lucknow on Sunday, April 14, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. As they regroup for the next match, KKR will undoubtedly focus on rectifying their batting approach and adjusting strategies to suit varying pitch conditions.