Varun Chakravarthy's 3 best bowling performances against RCB

It was just another day in the office for Varun Chakravarthy as he once again dismantled his favorite opposition, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), to set up a comfortable win for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday, April 27.

The hosts continued to struggle against the quality spin trio of KKR, especially Chakravarthy, who returned figures of 3/27 from his quota of four overs to help his side bag their third win of the season.

Chakravarthy has been the nemesis of RCB batsmen since his IPL debut. In eight matches against them, he has scalped 13 wickets so far with an economy of just 6.32 and an SR of 14.62, which is the lowest against all teams.

His impact against RCB can be understood by the fact that in those eight matches, he has contributed to 26% of the team's wickets.

On that note, let's look at some of his most memorable performances against RCB.

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Varun Chakravarthy's 3 best bowling performances against RCB

#3. 2/39, Match 10, Chepauk, IPL 2021

On a pitch that was conducive for spinners, Varun Chakravarthy wrecked havoc on the RCB batsmen, and that too within the span of five balls.

Introduced in the second over, Chakravarthy teased Virat Kohli with tossed-up deliveries, which he couldn't resist. He looked to go over the cover, driving the delivery, which was drifting away from the batsman. Kohli was nowhere close to the pitch of the ball and ended up slicing it to the cover fielder.

He then changed his angle for to the new batsman Rajat Patidar, who is known for his spin play, but the ball beat his inside edge and hit the top of the stump.

RCB were reduced to 9/2 after just two overs.

It took a masterclass of partnership between Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers to bail the team out of the hole and eventually win it for them. But Varun Chakravarthy did stamp his mark on the RCB's batsmen's mind.

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#2. 3/13, Match 31, Abu Dhabi, IPL 2021

IPL 2021 was suspended midway through the season due to the COVID-19 outbreak, forcing the rest of the tournament to be played in the UAE. What better way to start the second leg of the season than with the resumption of the rivalry between RCB and KKR?

The ball was moving both ways on a lively Abu Dhabi pitch, aiding fast bowlers with the evening breeze blowing through the open stadium.

As expected, RCB were rocked early by the KKR pacers, with the scoreboard reading 52/4 in the ninth over.

Varun Chakravarthy was brought into his second spell and that proved to be catastrophic for RCB.

He first lured Glenn Maxwell with a tossed-up delivery to play a big shot, which drifted away from the batsman to induce a false shot before trapping Wanindu Hasaranga in front of the stumps.

Sachin Baby tried to take him on, slogging his flighted delivery, which was bowled fuller and wider from the batsman's arc, only to give a simple catch to Nitish Rana at backward point.

RCB were unable to recover from the havoc and were bowled out for a paltry score of 92!

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#1. 4/15, Match 9, Eden Gardens, IPL 2023

Varun Chakravarthy was too hot for the RCB batsmen on the two-paced Eden wicket, where KKR piled up a huge total of 204/7. Considering the wicket and the absence of dew, it was destined for only one thing: RCB batsmen dancing to the tunes of the KKR spin trio of Sunil Narine, Chakravarthy, and Suyash Sharma.

Chakravarthy scalped the huge wicket of an in-form Faf Du Plessis, who was undecided with his footwork and tried to drive a fuller-length delivery outside off through the covers, only to knick it onto his stumps.

He then varied his pace and bowled a quicker one on a length outside off, which spun in to castle Maxwell.

Harshal Patel and Akashdeep Singh weren't able to read him either, which meant Chakravarthy ended up with his career-best IPL figures of 4/15.