Sourav Ganguly, the former captain of the Indian cricket team, isn’t ready to pick a favorite for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 just yet. He did admit that the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are looking strong. Speaking to reporters at Eden Gardens on Friday, Ganguly said, “It’s too early to make any calls. The tournament is long and competitive. He also mentioned that all the teams have a good balance.
When it comes to KKR’s spin bowling, he singled out Varun Chakravarthy, noting that the 29-year-old is tough to face in T20 matches. “He’ll do even better in this format. Kolkata Knight Riders is a strong team,” he said ahead of the opening match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Saturday.
Chakravarthy played a key role in India’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 win, taking nine wickets in three games. He acknowledged that the IPL brings its own challenges compared to international cricket. “Confidence is important, but every new tournament is a fresh start. The IPL is a whole different game, and I know what’s ahead of me,” he said at the press conference.
RCB head coach Andy Flower also recognized the threat KKR’s spin attack poses, mentioning both Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. “Chakravarthy is in good form and we know Narine well from over the years. That’s why we play at this level—to challenge ourselves against the best. The standard here is as high as international cricket, and there’s a lot of excitement and energy that comes with playing cricket in India,” he added.
