The defeat suffered by Kolkata Knight Riders against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 has exposed serious concerns about the team’s bowling unit. Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, giving an assessment following the one-sided, highlighted weaknesses that could hurt KKR’s campaign. The clash between SRH and KKR turned out to be a one-sided affair, with SRH clinching a 65-run victory. Batting first, Hyderabad piled up a big total of 226, with crucial contributions from Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen. The duo dominated proceedings, toppling the KKR bowling attack, scoring 48 and 52 respectively. In reply, KKR struggled to find the momentum. Their top order failed to lay a foundation as the side was folded for 161. The 65-run defeat highlighted their poor outing with the bat, the issue of inconsistency across departments.

"KKR are going to have a lot of problems this season. Forget about their batting bowling and all of that. The way they played this game and the last game, I think that they don't have one bowler who they can bank on for four overs. Many times you have one or two weak links whom you look to support, but you don't have even one bowler who can guarantee you four overs," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

Ashwin also advised Varun Chakaravarthy to work on his resilience and approach to regain his form.

"What happens with a bowler, when they get hit a lot, this is a time for Varun that he has never seen before. This is a massive blow for him. When I look at him, I feel his confidence is very low. If you are under so much pressure, there are methods to improve your practice. I feel he needs to take some time. He has to increase his hand speed and try all this in the nets. You cannot just go to the nets and do spot bowling on your own. This stage comes to everyone, where bowlers will pick you easily and even score runs. The game is pushing you to find a method and move forward. He will have to find answers," he explained.