NEW DELHI: Varun Chakravarthy turned Friday night in Ahmedabad into a personal milestone, writing a fresh chapter in the Kolkata Knight Riders record books, even as his team’s wider IPL 2026 woes showed no signs of easing. The mystery spinner became the first Indian to reach the 100-wicket mark for KKR in the history of the Indian Premier League, achieving the feat during the team’s match against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
The defining moment arrived in the 10th over of Gujarat’s chase when Chakravarthy struck, dismissing Jos Buttler and sparking brief celebrations among the KKR camp. He didn’t let the occasion linger without impact, as he soon followed up by removing Washington Sundar, moving beyond the landmark and reinforcing why he remains one of the league’s most reliable wicket-taking options.
With that second breakthrough, Chakravarthy also joined an exclusive group of KKR bowlers to have reached the 100-wicket milestone for the franchise, sharing the honour with franchise luminaries such as Sunil Narine and Andre Russell. By the end of his spell, his IPL tally stood at 102 wickets across 88 matches, with an additional wicket for Punjab Kings logged during his debut season in 2019.
In the broader KKR wicket charts, Narine leads the way with 196 scalps for the franchise, a mark that also represents the highest wicket haul by any single team in IPL history. Russell sits next with 122 wickets for KKR, leaving Chakravarthy third on the list after adding to his growing total.
However, the milestone evening ultimately belonged to Gujarat Titans. KKR’s defeat was sealed as GT chased down the 181-run target with five wickets remaining, handing the visitors their third consecutive win of the season. The result left Kolkata winless and firmly at the bottom of the standings, turning Chakravarthy’s landmark into a storyline that couldn’t soften the overall outcome.
Gujarat’s chase was steered with calm confidence by Shubman Gill, who struck a composed 86 to keep the pressure on from the outset. His innings helped GT dominate the powerplay and, crucially, ensured KKR never found the foothold needed to swing momentum back in their favour.
Before that, Kolkata’s total was powered largely by a resilient 79 from Cameron Green, who stood firm despite a collapse in the top order. Green built necessary partnerships and fought through moments when wickets kept falling at regular intervals, but he couldn’t get enough support from the other end as the innings tilted away from KKR.
Early on, GT’s pace attack set the tone with the new ball, with Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj making their presence felt and breaking up KKR’s top order to put the defending side under pressure from the start. For Chakravarthy, it was still a night that highlighted his rising legacy—one that underlined his importance to KKR—even as the rest of the team continues to look for answers in a season that is slipping further out of reach.
