New Delhi [India], March 21 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan said that batter Rinku Singh's form would be one of the problems for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to fix in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, noting a dip in his performances after the breakthrough 2023 season.

KKR will start their season with a clash against five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) at Mumbai on March 29. Rinku's form will be a big concern for the Knight Riders, as he had a sub-par T20 World Cup, scoring just 24 runs in five innings. Also in the IPL, his performances have witnessed a decline since his breakout season in 2023, in which five successive sixes against Yash Dayal in a 200-plus run-chase against the Gujarat Titans (GT) launched him into stardom.

Speaking on his YouTube Channel, Pathan spoke of the decline in Rinku's IPL performances after the breakout 2023 season and his failure to capitalise on the chances given to him during the recent T20 World Cup.

'We will have to see how much opportunity he gets to play. His 2023 season was outstanding. He scored 400-450 runs with a strike rate of 150. But after that, his performance dipped, and many times he did not get enough opportunities. He will have to maintain his standard and maximise the opportunities he gets. Even in the World Cup, he played five matches, but he could not fully capitalise on the chances he got. This is another problem that Kolkata needs to rectify, and Rinku Singh is one of them,' he said.

Rinku's 2023 season saw him score 474 runs in 14 innings at an average of 59.25 and a strike rate of 149.52, with four fifties. However, since then, he has scored just 374 runs in 22 innings at an average of 23.37, with a best score of 38*.

Pathan also said that the challenge would be how to give spinner Varun Chakravarthy the confidence he needs after a dip in form during the T20 World Cup. Starting off the tournament well, he took nine wickets in four group stage matches at an economy rate of just over 5. But after that, it was a massive decline as he managed just five wickets in five matches from Super Eight opener to the final, with his economy rate doubling.

The all-rounder backed Varun to overcome his slump and 'perform even better' while playing in a 'slightly different atmosphere' in Kolkata.

'The challenge is how to bring Varun back with confidence given his current dip in form. He will play 14 matches, some of which will be at Kolkata's ground, and he has definitely performed well in this league before. With the good memories he has in Kolkata, perhaps in a slightly different atmosphere, he might perform even better. I believe he will manage it, so although this is a challenge, Varun Chakaravarthy will overcome it,' said Pathan.

Last season, Varun was the seventh-highest wicket-taker with 17 scalps at an average of 22.52 and an economy rate of 7.66, with best figures of 3/22. In 83 matches for KKR, Varun has taken 99 wickets at an average of 23.74, with two four-wicket hauls and best figures of 5/20. (ANI)