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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