By Niharika Raina
New Delhi, April 28 IPL 2023 has been a season where quality leg-spinners have proved to be prized possessions for teams in making breakthroughs and stemming the run-flow.
While the usual suspects like Rashid Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, along with veterans like Piyush Chawla and Amit Mishra have put in match-winning performances, it is the comebacks of Varun Chakaravarthy and Mayank Markande which have elated legendary India leg-spinner Anil Kumble.
Chakaravarthy had picked 18 wickets in Kolkata's run to being runners-up in IPL 2021 and was also in India's squad for T20 World Cup thereafter. But his form deserted him in IPL 2022, taking just six wickets and was left out of Kolkata's playing eleven as well as from the Indian team set-up.
Cut to now, and in IPL 2023, Chakaravarthy is back to being at his best, picking 13 wickets from eight matches and averaging 18.38, with an economy rate of 8.05. He was also adjudged the player of the match for picking 3/27 in his four overs against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, earlier this week.
"Varun was certainly a part of the Indian team. After that, through injury, and also last season, he didn't have a great IPL. So, in that context he missed out. But I'm really happy for Varun to have showed what he's capable of because we knew the talent (that he has) right from the time he played for KKR a couple of seasons ago and made an impact and took the team to the final in Dubai (in 2021)," said Kumble, an IPL expert for JioCinema, in a select virtual media interaction.
Kumble also noted that in IPL 2023, Chakaravarthy has got back the attributes which made him a standout spinner previously.
"Varun is certainly a very unique bowler. He has the ability and I'm really happy that he's sort of worked things around. Because for a bowler like Varun, the action and speed that he bowls at, if the speed drops, then he's not that effective. This year, I think he's got back the speed that he was bowling at (previously) and the trajectory, and also the nip off the surface," he said.
He also felt that playing in home-and-away format has also contributed to Chakaravarthy thriving this year.
"Another fact also remains, that now that the IPL is moving around every city, he has adjusted to that, and it certainly helps his style of bowling," the former India captain said.
"Last season he struggled when matches were held at only four venues (in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Pune), plus the confidence wasn't there. Once you get the confidence back, and once you start moving around, and playing on different surfaces, it certainly helps him. So, I'm really happy that Varun has come back (into form)," he added.
On the other hand, Markande had captured the attention by foxing MS Dhoni with a beautiful googly in the opening match of IPL 2018 for Mumbai Ind and made his T20I debut for India against Australia in February 2019.
But things went suddenly downhill: - three matches for Mumbai in 2019 was followed by a trade to Delhi Capitals and was then traded again to Rajasthan Royals. Markande didn't play a game for Rajasthan in 2020 and had one appearance in 2021. For 2022, Markande was back to Mumbai, and played only two matches before being released.
Now, in IPL 2023, Markande is showing signs of being back to his best, becoming a bright spot in a dull campaign for Sunrisers Hyderabad, picking eight wickets in five matches at an average of 16.75 and economy rate of 6.70.
"Of course, Bishnoi has been good while someone like Piyush Chawla and Amit Mishra has done exceptionally well. One spinner who has done really well, and I'm happy that he's made a comeback is Mayank Markande," said Kumble.
"He's been someone whom we knew, when he played the first season for Mumbai a few years ago (2019). He bowled really well and was instrumental in MI winning the IPL that year. I'm glad that he's got his googlies back, speed, pace and accuracy. So, I am really happy for someone like Mayank to have come back," he added.
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