Varun Chakravarthy looked physically and emotionally drained as he described the Kolkata Knight Riders dressing room after their first win this season at the Eden Gardens here on Sunday. “I could see many with tears, which we didn’t see (even) after winning the IPL in 2024,” Chakaravarthy said after KKR’s four-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals. Calling it “very very significant”, the Player of the Match credited the support staff for ensuring the Knights kept believing in themselves despite “all the outside noise”.

Restricting the Royals to 155 for 9 in their 20 overs despite a 52-ball partnership of 81 between openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, KKR made heavy weather of the chase, almost messing things up before a 76-run association off 37 balls for the unbroken seventh wicket between Rinku Singh (34-ball 53 not out) and Anukul Roy (29 not out) took them over the line.