Varun Chakravarthy’s inconsistent IPL 2026 season could be linked to the mental and physical toll 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 after the World Cup before jumping straight back into another demanding tournament.
This IPL season has seen several members of India’s T20 World Cup-winning squad struggle 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 the spinner’s quality was never in doubt despite his 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 hectic tournament.”
“So a break at the right time is always important, but no one ever questioned his ability because when you are that good, it is only a matter of time before you come back into form.”
Bravo also highlighted how mentally draining a tournament like the IPL can become, especially immediately after international duty.
“The group is very supportive of him, and a mental break is also very important, especially in a tournament like the IPL where there are so many games, high pressure, and the best players competing against each other.”
“No matter who you are as a player, you will go through these moments. There are so many other quality players struggling this season as well.”
The conversation around fatigue has quietly become one of the bigger themes of IPL 2026, especially around players who were central to India’s T20 World Cup triumph.
HOW HAS VARUN CHAKRAVARTHY FARED IN IPL 2026?
Varun’s IPL 2026 season has felt like two completely different campaigns stitched together.
The KKR spinner endured a horrible start to the season, going wicketless in his first three matches against Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians, including expensive figures of 0/48.
At one stage, questions were already starting around whether batters had finally figured him out.
But just when the criticism started building, Varun bounced back strongly.
He picked up 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 pretty much mirrored his T20 World Cup journey too.
Varun finished the tournament as the joint-highest wicket-taker alongside Bumrah with 14 wickets, but after dominating the group stage, his impact reduced significantly during the Super 8s and knockout phase.
ARE INDIA’S WORLD CUP STARS RUNNING ON EMPTY?
Varun is not the only Indian star battling a difficult IPL season after the T20 World Cup.
Bumrah has managed just three wickets in 10 matches for Mumbai Indians at an average of 109.67, while Arshdeep has had an unusually inconsistent season for Punjab Kings despite picking up 12 wickets in 11 matches.
The concern around burnout has already been raised by several former cricketers this season.
While some coaches have downplayed the issue publicly, experts like Ravi Shastri have pointed towards the sheer workload and lack of recovery time after India’s title-winning World Cup campaign.
The schedule has barely allowed players time to reset mentally before returning to another high-pressure tournament filled with constant travel, scrutiny and expectations.
And for players who carried India through a World Cup-winning run just a few months ago, that exhaustion now seems to be showing in different ways across IPL 2026.
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