Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) off-spinner Varun Chakravarthy set a new record in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, becoming the first spinner in the history of the T20 league to defend less than 10 runs in the final over. Home side Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) needed 9 runs to win in the final over with three wickets in hand, but Varun Chakravarthy just conceded three runs in his final over and also picked up the wicket of Abdul Samad to ensure a win for Nitish Rana’s KKR by five runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday night.
Chakravarthy bowled the 16th, 18th and 20th over of the innings and just conceded 12 runs in these three over as the Knight Riders came from behind to post a sensational win. Needing 172 to win at home, SRH ended up at 166 for 8.
WATCH Varun Chakravarthy’s brilliant last over vs SRH HERE…
Varun Chakravrathy holds his nerve to deliver a win for @KKRiders in a final-ball thriller _#SRHvKKR #TATAIPL #IPLonJioCinema #IPL2023 pic.twitter.com/xsi2fYeu06
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) May 4, 2023
KKR spinner Chakravarthy later revealed that his heart was pumping out of his chest. “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,” Chakravarthy said in the post-match presentation.
He also revealed how he managed to control the wet ball in the Hyderabad rain on Thursday night. “Definitely the ball was slipping a lot and so my best bet was the longer side. That was the only thing in my mind. My first over went for 12 and Markram played some amazing shots. That’s how the game goes. It’s very important to stay in the process. Once emotions set in, I might tend to get carried away and forget my process.
“Last year, I was bowling around 85 kph. So I went back and was trying out many things and I realized that once my revolutions go down, my speed goes down. So I worked on my revs and that really helps,” Chakravarthy added.
For SRH, skipper Aiden Markram top-scored with 41 off 40 balls while South African wicketkeeper blazed 36 off 20 balls with three sixes. But centurion from the last KKR-SRH match, Harry Brook, was dismissed for another duck by Anukul Roy.
KKR bowler Vaibhav Arora dismissed Markram and Marco Jansen in successive to give his side a glimpse of hope and Varun Chakravarthy made sure that that the Knight Riders didn’t miss out on a revenge win over SRH.
