IPL 2023: Harbhajan Singh showers praise on KKR star Varun Chakaravarthy after match-winning spell

By Anthony On May 5, 2023

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has praised Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star Varun Chakravarthy after he produced a match-winning spell in the Indian Premier League (IPL) contest against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Friday, May 4. Varun gave away 12 runs in his final three overs while he defended 10 runs in the final over to win the contest for KKR. The win kept KKR in the hunt for a playoff place as they now have eight points to their name, two points off fourth placed Rajasthan Royals.

“Varun Chakravarthy bowled tight lines all along the death overs against SRH. He changed his angle and showed confidence in the final over to defend 8 runs. It was good captaincy from Nitish Rana as well for giving the ball to Varun,” Harbhajan said while speaking to Star Sports.

The match-winning spell saw KKR register their fourth win of the season and will look to make the playoffs. Chasing 172, Sunrisers Hyderabad was off to a solid start. But Harshit Rana disrupted the chase by dismissing Mayank Agarwal for 18 off 11 balls. SRH was at 29/1 in 2.5 overs.

“My heartbeat was definitely touching 200 [beats per minute] but I just wanted to challenge them on the longer end so that was my plan. The ball was slipping a lot and so my best bet was the longer side. That was the only thing in my mind,” Chakravarthy told the broadcaster.

Abhishek Sharma was also dismissed for nine runs by Shardul Thakur after he was caught by Andre Russell at deep backward square. SRH was at 37/2 in 3.5 overs. SRH reached the 50-run mark in 5.2 overs.

While SRH needed 26 off 18 balls, Vaibhav dismissed Marco Jansen for just 1. SRH was reduced to 152/7 in 18.2 overs. Gurbaz took a brilliant catch to dismiss Jansen. A no-ball from Vaibhav and a total of 12 runs conceded in the 19th over left SRH with nine runs in the final over to win.

After a single and a bye, Samad was caught near the boundary for 21 off 18 balls. SRH was at 165/8 in 19.3 overs, needing seven in three balls.

SRH failed to complete the chase, finishing at 166/8 in 20 overs. KKR won the match by five runs.

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