IPL 2026: Ravichandran Ashwin Feels KKR Bowling Has Lost Its 'Novelty And Fear Factor'

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is set to commence from March 28. As the season draws near, teams have already kickstarted their preparations with the pre-season camps. Most of the Indian players have joined in and overseas players are arriving. Under the observation of coaches, teams are building up their intensity ahead of the season and are also working on their combinations and skills.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) commenced their pre-season camp from March 18, Wednesday. Head coach Abhishek Nayar was one of the firsts to arrive in Kolkata alongside captain Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi. Assistant coach Shane Watson also joined the camp and the players started their preparations for the upcoming season at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

KKR mentor Dwayne Bravo arrived at the camp on the evening of March 19. Zimbabwe star Blessing Muzarabani, who was picked as replacement of Mustafizur Rahman was the first foreigner to join the camp. While KKR continue the wait for Matheesha Pathirana's no objection certificate (NOC), the likes of Finn Allen, Tim Seifert and Rachin Ravindra have also landed. Australia star Cameron Green was the latest arrival and Sunil Narine, Rovman Powell are expected to arrive in the coming days.

After Varun Chakravarthy's arrival on Thursday, the Indian contingent of KKR has grouped except for Akash Deep. In a latest setback, KKR also lost the services of India seamer Akash Deep for the entire season due to injury.

Coach Abhishek Nayar addressed them in the opening speech ahead of the training and the players have since worked on their skill in the nets as well as participated in high-intensity fielding drills.

On March 20, KKR played an intra-squad practice match. Angkrish Raghuvanshi shined in the match scoring a century. Finn Allen, Tim Seifert got to show glimpses while the likes of Blessing Muzarabani, Kartik Tyagi, Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik got used to the match intensity.

The likes of Rinku Singh, Sarthak Ranjan, Anukul Roy, Rahul Tripathi got to swing their bats. Known faces like Navdeep Saini and Sandeep Warrier were part of KKR's practice match as net bowlers. KKR continue to look for replacement as they continue to suffer from injury issues.

Ashwin Points Out KKR's Bowling Weakness

Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowling attack no longer carries the same aura of fear and the “novelty factor” around their mystery spinners have faded, says former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

Analysing the strength and weakness of KKR ahead of the IPL, Ashwin said India spinner Varun Chakravarthy will have a lot of responsibility on his shoulders.

"I don’t think oppositions will be worried after looking at KKR’s bowling attack. I think the mystery factory, the novelty factor, and the fear, that particular facet, would have gone. Earlier, batters used to go to the analyst’s room, watch the bowler’s hand, or just look to take a single,” Ashwin told on his YouTube channel.

"Varun is at a stage in his career where he has to find answers. But, it is natural for every cricketer’s progress and his career. I think the novelty factor is out,” he said.

Ashwin also noted that seasoned all-rounder Sunil Narine’s effectiveness has diminished, particularly with restrictions on his variations.

“Sunil Narine also cannot bowl the faster ball anymore, because of his action. Eden Gardens is a small ground, so now it becomes easy for the opposition to say, ‘Hey, you know what, here is a team that is not going to make me scared, so let us go after them’,” he added.

Ashwin stressed that without the element of surprise, KKR’s bowlers could find it increasingly difficult to contain aggressive batting line-ups, especially on smaller grounds.

The legendary Indian spinner further noted that injuries and personnel changes have weakened the bowling unit since the auction.

"After the auction, I had said that KKR’s bowling attack is solid. But now, Mustafizur Rahman is not there. (Matheesha) Pathirana’s injury is there, Harshit Rana has been ruled out," he said.

"KKR have the blessing of Blessing Muzarabani. He has worked hard and I am excited to see them, but with all the injuries plaguing them, somebody has to do the heavy lifting. I can’t see anyone who can do that.”

Ashwin also touched upon the absence of Shreyas Iyer, who had lead KKR to the their third title victory in 2024, but was let go by the team.

“Korbo is there, Lorbo is there, but I don’t think Jeetbo is there. KKR won the title three times, twice under Gautam Gambhir and once under Shreyas Iyer. Now that I think about it, with Shreyas Iyer, you had a qualifying opportunity that went to another team," Ashwin said.

"Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy history is compelling. KKR’s loss ended up being PBKS’ gain.” Iyer had joined Punjab Kings and guided them to their first IPL final in a decade last year.

Ashwin said teams should have the right to deduct a player's money if he is not able to fulfil his role.

"There is a question about Cameron Green. Will Cricket Australia allow him to bowl all four overs? That is also a possibility. In this scenario, the Australian board is saying to Green that he can play in the IPL, but Test cricket is very important for us, so you can play only this much of workload," Ashwin said.

"IPL teams also should have an opportunity where if he bowls only two overs, then they should deduct (Rs) 2 crores. Why not? If he (a player) is not able to deliver his four overs, then you should have the right to cut their money, right?" When you came into the IPL auction, the expectation was that you will bowl all four overs, and also bat. If there is no restriction on bowling, then great, but if there is restriction the team should be allowed to cut from the contract money," Ashwin elaborated.

"Imagine if you are Shah Rukh Khan, and you have paid (Rs) 25 crores for a player. But then he comes and says that, 'Sir, I will bowl only one over today, or bowl only 10 balls a day'. How will you feel?" R Ashwin said.

KKR Squad For IPL 2026:

Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Tejasvi Dahiya (wk), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Matheesha Pathirana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Kartik Tyagi, Umran Malik, Tim Seifert, Sarthak Ranjan, Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Manish Pandey, Daksh Kamra, Blessing Muzarabani, Prashant Solanki, Rovman Powell, Harshit Rana (injured), Akash Deep (injured).

(Using PTI Inputs)