'It still hurts, we couldn't retain him' - Stephen Fleming contemplates missing out on Varun Chakaravarthy following KKR loss

MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings succumbed to a damaging defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders in their last home game of IPL 2023 at Chepauk. It was the KKR spinners, especially Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine who did the damage in the first innings of the match. CSK head coach Stephen Fleming rued missing out on Chakaravarthy, despite him being one of their net bowlers a few years ago.

Chennai Super Kings have boasted some world-class spinners over the years, but they failed to add Varun Chakaravarthy to their ranks despite being well aware of his prodigious talent. The leg spinner served as a net bowler for CSK before being snapped up by Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) at the IPL 2019 auction.

Although it did not work out for him at the Punjab-based franchise, he has found a new lease of life in the ranks of Kolkata Knight Riders. CSK head coach Stephen Fleming revealed that he regrets missing out on the Karnataka man to this day as Chakaravarthy used to 'torture' them in the net sessions.

"It still hurts us, that [not being able to buy him at the auction]. He tortured us in the nets for a number of years, but with the auction and the way it is, we couldn't retain him. And the thing is with the Tamil Nadu players all around the different teams, they knew about him as well and we were unable to keep him a secret," Fleming said in a post-match press conference.

We were very excited by him as a talent when he bowled against us in the nets: Fleming

KKR's spin twins Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine combined for four wickets in the match, keeping a tight lid on the scoring rate against the Chennai batters. Fleming reckoned that the surface at Chepauk suited the KKR spinners much better than the home side. The former New Zealand skipper also stated that they would've loved the services of Chakaravarthy, but it wasn't to be. The KKR spinner is currently in the race for the IPL 2023 Purple Cap with 19 wickets to his name this season.

"We were very excited by him as a talent when he bowled against us in the nets, and we would have loved him. He bowled very well today, so he's a weapon. When you have Narine and him operating, they're a very potent combo in the right conditions. Probably in Kolkata, they don't get the most favourable conditions to bowl on, so coming to conditions like this, they excel," he added.