Narine fit but Varun doubtful for LSG fixture on Thursday

Sunil Narine, their highest wicket-taker in the IPL, has recovered from the illness that caused him to miss the washed-out game against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Monday. As a result, the bowling attack of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will get a boost when they play Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Thursday. KKR's bowling attack will be stronger. Varun Chakravarthy, though, remains a doubt for Thursday due to the injury on the left hand because of which he also missed the fixture against PBKS. Varun had injured the little finger on his left hand while fielding against Sunrisers Hyderabad but he bowled "his full set at training" on Wednesday*, a KKR release said. Varun was taped across his left hand in the dugout during the PBKS game, and he arrived at Eden Gardens on Wednesday in the same manner for training. Varun's return has yet to be scheduled. According to the KKR management, Narine was suffering from an "abdominal issue" before the PBKS game. KKR played without both spinners in their XI for the first time since the 2019 IPL. Narine had resumed practice on Tuesday and he batted and bowled on the two days before the next clash. His return will come as a boost to an inexperienced bowling line-up that has been plagued with injuries and player unavailability. Anukul Roy, a left-arm spinner, was the only spinner in KKR's XI that played PBKS. Apart from Narine's return, ESPNcricinfo has learnt KKR are also likely to have Cameron Green's bowling services Thursday onwards for the rest of IPL 2026. Green has been bowling in KKR training sessions, but he has not bowled yet in the tournament because the franchise and Cricket Australia are working together to coordinate the all-rounder's "workload management." KKR have just one point after three games, having started the season with successive defeats before the washout that got them one point.