Varun Chakravarthy’s inconsistent IPL 2026 season could be linked to the mental and physical impact of India’s hectic T20 World Cup-winning campaign earlier this year. According to Dwayne Bravo, the Kolkata Knight Riders spinner probably needed a proper break before jumping straight back into another tough tournament after the World Cup.

it IPL The season has seen several members India’s T20 World Cup-winning team is struggling for rhythm, including Jasprit Bumrah And Arshdeep Singh. Speaking ahead of KKR’s clash against Delhi Capitals on May 8, Bravo backed Varun and insisted that the spinner’s quality was never in doubt despite uneven returns this season.

“Yeah, I think in sports, especially when you play at this level, everything is very result-oriented and sometimes people get very emotional,” Bravo said.

“A player like Varun, who is a world-class spinner, has just come out of the World Cup, which was also a very busy tournament.”

“So a break at the right time is always important, but no one ever questioned his ability because when you are so good, it is only a matter of time before he gets back into form.”

Bravo also highlighted how mentally draining a tournament like the IPL can be, especially so soon after international duty.

“The group supports him a lot, and mental breaks are also very important, especially in a tournament like the IPL where there are a lot of games, high pressure, and the best players compete against each other.”

“No matter who you are as a player, you will go through these moments. There are a lot of other quality players struggling this season as well.”

conversation about fatigue IPL 2026 has quietly become one of the big topics, especially around the players who were at the heart of India’s T20 World Cup win.

How has Varun Chakraborty’s performance been in IPL 2026?

Varun’s IPL 2026 season has felt like two completely different campaigns mashed together.

The KKR spinner had a very poor start to the season, going wicketless in his first three matches against Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians, which also included expensive figures of 0/48.

At one point questions were raised whether the batsmen had finally discovered him.

But when criticism started increasing, Varun made a strong comeback.

He took 10 wickets in the next four matches and played a major role in reviving KKR’s campaign, including a crucial three-wicket spell against SRH.

That inconsistency has largely reflected their T20 World Cup journey as well.

Varun finished the tournament as the joint-highest wicket-taker with Bumrah with 14 wickets, but after dominating the group stage, his impact waned significantly during the Super 8s and knockout stage.

Are India’s World Cup stars running on empty?

After the T20 World Cup, Varun is not the only Indian star who is struggling with a difficult IPL season.

Bumrah has taken just three wickets at an average of 109.67 in 10 matches for Mumbai Indians, while Arshdeep has had an unusually inconsistent season for Punjab Kings despite taking 12 wickets in 11 matches.

Concerns about burnout have already been raised by several former cricketers this season.

While some coaches have played down the issue publicly, experts such as Ravi Shastri have pointed to excessive workload and lack of recovery time following India’s World Cup title-winning campaign.

The schedule has not given players time to mentally reset before returning to another high-pressure tournament filled with constant travel, scrutiny and expectations.

And the fatigue of the players who had set out to win the World Cup for India just a few months ago is now visible in different ways during IPL 2026.

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New Delhi: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) survive late fightback tim david (40 runs from 17 balls) defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by nine runs in their IPL 2026 match at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Thursday. Prince Yadav took three wickets as LSG defended their score in 19 overs of rain-affected play. RCB was chasing 213 runs under the DLS method.RCB needed 20 runs in the last over, but Digvesh Rathi gave only 10 runs to ensure LSG’s victory.It was a much-needed win for LSG after six straight defeats this season and eight in a row at home. Even after the win, they remained at number 10 in the points table, but there was some relief in the camp.Meanwhile, RCB missed the chance to top the table.It was LSG’s first win in five matches in Lucknow this season and their first win against RCB at the Ekana Stadium in three attempts.It was RCB’s first defeat while chasing the total in five matches this season, while LSG recorded their first win while defending the total in five matches.First, Michelle Marsh LSG’s innings was affected due to repeated rain interruptions and they scored 209/3.The game was delayed by about an hour due to rain three times, after which the match was reduced to 19 overs per side.Marsh scored 111 runs in 56 balls and added 95 runs for the first wicket with Arshin Kulkarni (17). After this he added 70 more runs with Nicholas Pooran (38). captain Rishabh Pant Later he scored 32 unbeaten runs in just 10 balls.Marsh started attacking from the beginning and hit fours and sixes all around the ground. His innings included nine fours and nine sixes.LSG desperately needed a win to stay in the playoff race, Marsh attacked the RCB bowlers from the start after asking LSG to bat first.Josh Hazlewood faced most of the early attack as Marsh hit two straight sixes over his head before hitting three fours in the same spell.LSG reached 95/0 in nine overs, before the first rain stopped play for about 30 minutes. After the restart, Krunal Pandya dismissed Kulkarni.Nicholas Pooran then scored quickly by hitting two fours off Rasikh, while Marsh completed his century with consecutive fours and then hit another six over cover point just before play was stopped again due to rain.Marsh was dropped by Devdutt Padikkal on the score of 110, but he could not take advantage of it and was later caught at deep point off Hazlewood’s ball.After Marsh’s dismissal, Pant took over the innings and hit four fours and two sixes in his quick unbeaten innings.Chasing the total, RCB were restricted to 203 for six with Prince Yadav (3/33) and Shahbaz Ahmed (2/33) sharing the wickets for LSG.Captain Rajat Patidar was the top scorer for RCB with 61 runs in 31 balls.Krunal Pandya (1/31) and Josh Hazlewood (1/49) took one wicket each for RCB.

Lucknow Super Giants (209/3 in 19 overs) defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (203/6 in 19 overs) by 9 runs via DLS method at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium. LSG vs RCB: highlighted | Achievement:

For several months now, Ekana Stadium has slowly started becoming the place where Lucknow Supergiants keep finding new ways to lose.

The runs never came consistently, the bowling lost control at crucial moments and the home crowd left disappointed. The streak of eight consecutive defeats continues at home. IPL 2025 had turned Lucknow’s own land into the exact opposite of an advantage.

And by the time we came up against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday night, things weren’t looking any better.

RCB came into IPL 2026 as one of the form teams. LSG came in with fading playoff hopes, mounting pressure, and a season that was fast coming to an end. On paper, it looked like Bengaluru would be in control.

Instead, Mitchell Marsh and Prince Yadav completely overturned the mood of the season on a chaotic night at Ekana.

Marsh was the first to create the atmosphere by treating the powerplay like a net session. The Australian opener scored 111 runs in 56 balls and never gave RCB a chance to breathe. Rain interruptions continued, reducing the game to 19 overs a side, but Marsh continued to attack as if the break had unsettled him further.

Josh Hazlewood missed the straight boundary twice already. Rasikh Dar was introduced into the attack in the fifth over and was greeted with more punishment. Marsh completed his fastest IPL fifty in just 20 balls and by then, Ekana had found his voice again.

The biggest phase of the game came there.

LSG ended the powerplay on 68 runs without losing any wicket. Chasing 213, RCB faltered at 35/2.

That gap never completely disappeared from the game.

With Arshin Kulkarni, Marsh added 95 for the opening wicket, before Nicholas Pooran kept the pressure on with 38. Then came a small reminder of the chaos of old Rishabh Pant.

Pant’s unbeaten inning of 32 runs in 10 balls had everything. A reverse swept six. A four where the bat left his hand after contact. A few minutes of absolute madness pushed LSG past 200 and forced RCB to chase the game right from the start.

But still, against a batting lineup full of chasing experts, no one in Lucknow was relaxing yet.

Not until Prince Yadav completed the night of his IPL career.

Prince Yadav converted pressure into dominance

The Prince’s evening started badly indeed.

A misfield leaked four runs and summed up the nervous energy surrounding LSG this season. But within a matter of minutes, the young fast bowler completely changed the game and perhaps also his own IPL story.

First up came a sharp catch after Mohammed Shami had dismissed Jacob Bethel cheaply once again. Then that ball came which shook the stadium.

Virat Kohli was clean bowled on zero in two balls.

The reaction said it all. Kohli has saved RCB from such situations many times, so that no one can feel comfortable in his presence. But Prince attacked the stumps, hit them hard and suddenly the chase master had no answer.

And the Prince’s work was not done.

When Rajat Patidar played a brilliant inning of 61 runs in 31 balls and Devdutt Padikkal quietly carried the innings, RCB looked set for another comeback.

Just then Prince returned and removed Padikkal.

Three wickets. Figures of 3/33. But more importantly, the wickets kept coming when LSG were beginning to panic again.

LSG survives one last RCB scare

Despite all this, RCB almost won the game.

After the fall of Padikkal’s wicket, the decision to send Jitesh Sharma before Tim David did not work as the wicketkeeper could score only one run. But as soon as David arrived, the mood immediately changed.

His innings of 40 off 17 balls made an impossible start suddenly seem very possible.

Every boundary brought new tension into the LSG dugout, before Shahbaz Ahmed eventually dismissed him.

Still, the real drama was waiting for the last over.

RCB needed 20 runs. Romario Shepherd and Krunal Pandya were at the crease. And inside the LSG crowd, Pant, Marsh, Abdul Samad and Digvesh Rathi were all trying to decide who would bowl the final over.

Going with Digvesh seemed risky. He had already given away 40 runs in three overs and Romario and Krunal were finding it dangerous to bowl spin.

But still Pant trusted him.

And for once, RCB’s finishers ran out of answers.

Romario could never connect properly in the final over as LSG cruised to a nine-run DLS win that finally ended the long domestic nightmare.

More importantly, it kept their playoff hopes alive.

barely. But alive.

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Captain of Lucknow Super Giants Rishabh Pant Admitted that the lack of clarity over roles and frequent cuts and changes in the batting order has badly affected the team during their disappointing IPL 2026 campaign. Speaking at the toss ahead of LSG’s crucial clash against defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore in Lucknow on Thursday, Pant said the franchise has struggled to maintain clarity within the team, which he believes played a major role in their poor season.