“Kolkata Knight Riders have the most balanced spin department” – Pravin Tambe ahead of IPL 2022

Last season’s runners-up Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will lock horns with defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the inaugural match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on March 26.

Prior to the start of the 15th edition of the cash-rich league, KKR’s support staff member and former Rajasthan Royals (RR) leg-spinner Pravin Tambe feels that Kolkata boast the most versatile spin attack in the IPL.

KKR’s spin attacks have been their identity markers since the inception of the IPL. Several high-profile spinners like Ajantha Mendis, Sunil Narine, Brad Hogg, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakravarthy have donned the purple and gold hues over the years, with the franchise evincing a special liking for the 'mystery' breed.

In addition to the retained duo of Narine and Chakravarthy, KKR’s spin department this season comprises Afghanistan’s T20I captain Mohammad Nabi and Indian all-rounders Anukul Roy and Nitish Rana. While, on paper, this spin set-up looks a bit thinner than those of the previous editions, Tambe is confident about its match-winning ability. In a recent chat with Sportskeeda, the 50-year-old said:

“We’ve got the variety to suit different team combinations. Our spin department has enough firepower to win matches. Everyone knows what Narine can do with both the bat and ball. Batters are still struggling to read Varun. Nabi, too, carries a lot of experience as he plays T20 cricket all around the world. I think we have the most balanced spin department this season.”

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“Varun Chakravarthy is smart enough to reinvent himself” – Pravin Tambe

Varun Chakravarthy, a mystery spinner hailing from Tamil Nadu, made headlines when he was snapped up by Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) for a whopping ₹8.4 crore at the 2019 mini-auction. However, he made a disastrous start to his IPL career by conceding 25 runs in his first over against KKR at the Eden Gardens.

The following year, he joined KKR and turned heads with his wicket-taking spree on the UAE pitches, ending up as their leading wicket-taker with 17 scalps from 13 matches. KKR failed to reach the playoffs that season, but Chakravarthy’s exploits, which included a five-for (5-20) against Delhi Capitals (DC), catapulted him to fame.

The architect-turned-cricketer replicated his success in 2021 and was instrumental in KKR’s journey to the IPL final after a seven-year hiatus. Bowling in tandem with Narine, Chakravarthy picked up 18 wickets from 17 matches at a parsimonious economy of 6.58.

The IPL has witnessed several one-season wonders like Swapnil Asnodkar, Paul Valthaty and Kamran Khan, but luckily for KKR, Chakravarthy’s impact hasn’t fizzled out as yet. For two consecutive seasons, he deceived batters with his guile and variations, which led the Kolkata-based franchise to retain him for ₹8 crore ahead of this year’s mega auction.

Chakravarthy’s IPL success helped him earn his maiden India call-up in 2021. The 30-year-old made his international debut during India’s three-T20I away series against Sri Lanka in July and also played three matches in the T20 World Cup in the UAE late last year. But his international numbers are underwhelming. In six T20Is, Chakravarthy has scalped just two wickets at a shoddy average of 66.

Mystery bowlers are prone to being decoded after their initial success, so it remains to be seen if Chakravarthy can continue being KKR’s strike bowler. It’s not going to be easy though. After all, he hasn’t played any competitive cricket since the T20 World Cup and has struggled to prove his fitness in the past.

Tambe, however, believes that Chakravarthy’s smartness will help him overcome the extensive analysis done by opposition teams. He explained:

“Varun is a very smart boy. He knows how opposition analysts and batters study his bowling. He’s smart enough to reinvent himself. He’s someone who always thinks about his game, so I’m sure that he’ll be as effective for us this season as he was before.”

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Pravin Tambe on Kuldeep Yadav’s separation from KKR

KKR are credited with grooming Kuldeep Yadav for the national team. The leg-spinner shot to fame after finishing the 2014 U-19 World Cup as the joint-highest wicket-taker (14) alongside Kagiso Rabada. He was acquired by KKR for ₹40 lakh at that year’s mega auction and became a regular in their playing XI soon after as Narine’s understudy.

In a short span of time, Kuldeep also established himself as a vital member of India’s limited-overs set up and experienced stupendous growth at the international level. Forming a lethal partnership with fellow leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep has spun India to multiple victories and is the third fastest Indian (58 matches) to claim 100 ODI wickets after Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah (both took 56 matches to reach the milestone).

Although Kuldeep was bought back by KKR for ₹5.8 cr at the 2018 mega auction, his second spell at the franchise proved barren. It started with KKR’s home fixture against Mumbai Indians in the 2018 IPL, where Ishan Kishan smashed him for four consecutive sixes in an over.

The following year, Moeen Ali dented Kuldeep’s confidence even further by belting 27 runs off an over in KKR’s home clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The repercussions of the assault have been long-lasting as Kuldeep’s stocks have fallen drastically. Not only was he discarded by the KKR think tank, he also fell out of favor with the Indian team due to diminishing returns.

In an interview with former Indian opener Aakash Chopra last year, Kuldeep attributed his poor form to KKR’s lack of faith in his skills. After undergoing major knee surgery in September 2021, Kuldeep was recalled to India’s ODI team for the home series against the West Indies earlier this year. Playing in the third ODI, he returned figures of 8-0-51-2, which drew praise from captain Rohit Sharma.

The 27-year-old will represent the Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals this season, who roped him in for ₹2 crore at the mega auction in Bengaluru last month.

When asked if Kuldeep’s absence could make any difference to KKR’s spin strength, Tambe replied:

“That’s what the IPL is all about. It’s natural for players to get shuffled. Every team will definitely miss some of their former players, but we’ve got enough variety in our team to make up for his absence. It shouldn’t be a concern.”