Varun Chakravarthy has dismissed Jos Buttler twice in IPL: Stats

Kolkata Knight Riders will host Rajasthan Royals in the 56th match of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) at Eden Gardens on May 11. The Nitish Rana-led Knight Riders defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings after losing to Gujarat Titans. Meanwhile, RR have lost three consecutive matches. The battle between Jos Buttler and Varun Chakravarthy is the one to watch out for.

The KKR spinners have been on a roll in IPL 2023. The trio of Sunil Narine, Chakravarthy, and Suyash Sharma have troubled the opposition. It will be interesting to see if KKR introduces mystery spinner Chakravarthy in front of the dangerous Buttler. Notably, Buttler has fallen to Chakravarthy twice in a span of 13 balls. However, the former's strike rate reads 215.38.

Buttler strikes at a staggering 144.26 against spinners in the IPL. The RR batter has fallen to them 24 times. It is worth noting that Buttler averages 58.33 against spinners in the ongoing IPL season. The tally includes just three dismissals.

Buttler requires eight more to complete 400 runs in IPL 2023. As of now, only Faf du Plessis, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Devon Conway, and Virat Kohli have crossed this mark this season. Buttler averages 35.63 and has a strike rate of 143.58 in the ongoing season. The tally includes four half-centuries. His opening stands with Jaiswal have grabbed eyeballs.

Similarly, Chakravarthy has proved his mettle in IPL 2023. He has raced to 17 wickets in just eight games at an economy rate of 7.84. No other KKR bowler has over 10 wickets. Wrist-spinner Suyash follows Chakravarthy on the tally (10). KKR bought Chakravarthy for Rs. 4 crore in the 2020 IPL auction. He has since been a vital part of their bowling attack.

Kolkata's Eden Gardens, which is renowned for its batting-friendly surface, will host this duel on May 11. One could see a high-scoring game. Spinners will come into the match once the surface wears down. Overall, a competitive battle between bat and ball is expected. Star Sports Network will telecast the match, while fans can also live-stream it on JioCinema from 7:30pm IST onward.