"Varun Chakaravarthy has been the best spinner this season" - Aakash Chopra on KKR players to watch out for in IPL 2024 final vs SRH

Aakash Chopra reckons Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) Varun Chakaravarthy has been the best spinner in IPL 2024. The mystery spinner has scalped 20 wickets at an acceptable economy rate of 8.18 in 13 innings this season.

KKR will face the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2024 final in Chennai on Sunday, May 26. Shreyas Iyer and company have won both games between the two sides this year and will hope to do an encore in the summit clash.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra picked Chakaravarthy as the first KKR specialist bowler to watch out for in the title decider.

"Varun Chakaravarthy has the specialty that he turns the ball. He comes from Chennai and understands this ground and pitch very well. He has an excellent web of spin. Varun Chakaravarthy has been the best spinner this season. So I will focus a lot on him," he reasoned (4:20).

The former India opener chose Mitchell Starc and Harshit Rana as the other two key bowlers for the Kolkata-based franchise.

"I will focus on two fast bowlers. One is Mitchell Starc and the other is Harshit Rana. Mitchell Starc vs Travis Head - mouth-watering clash one more time. He might not take as many wickets as he took in the last match but it's Mitchell Starc - big finals, you have got to back the guy. Harshit Rana has the slower one, bouncer, yorker, and the cricketing smarts are outstanding," Chopra explained.

With 17 scalps at an economy rate of 9.40 in 10 innings, Rana is KKR's second-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2024. Starc, who registered figures of 3/34 in Qualifier 1 against SRH, has accounted for 15 dismissals at an economy rate of 11.07 in 12 innings.

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"He bowls very well and you will expect him to do even better on this pitch" - Aakash Chopra on KKR's Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine has picked up 16 wickets at an economy rate of 6.90 in 13 innings in IPL 2024. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra reckons Sunil Narine might be KKR's most crucial player in the IPL 2024 final.

"When you look towards KKR, you remember the 2012 and 2014 seasons, and you remember Sunil Narine's immense contribution, and this is exactly the same. Sunil Narine is the most valuable player this time as well and will be in focus. Firstly, bowling - he bowls very well and you will expect him to do even better on this pitch," he said (3:10).

"Secondly, the way he is batting. He hasn't scored runs against this time thus far, got run out in the first match and couldn't score too many runs in Qualifier 1 as well, but he is a dangerous player. So everyone will have to be wary of him. Narine has had a massive contribution to take this team here. If he has got them till here, taking them forward will be in his hands," the cricketer-turned-commentator added.

Chopra pointed out that Andre Russell will be playing his first IPL final and will be expected to perform well.

"This is Andre Russell's first final. GOAT of T20 cricket across the globe, even in this league, but has never played the final. You will expect from him here because his numbers against this team are very good. He is picking up wickets now and scored a fifty the last time these two teams played in Kolkata," he observed.

Russell has smashed 222 runs at a strike rate of 185.00 in nine innings in IPL 2024. The seam-bowling all-rounder has also picked up 16 wickets at an economy rate of 10.28 in 13 innings.