Mumbai, May 13 -- Ahead of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), former Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif said that the absence of spinner Varun Chakravarthy could be a "big plus" for the defending champions.

RCB will look to maintain the momentum after a thrilling two-wicket win against the Mumbai Indians (MI) when they lock horns with KKR, who have been on an upward trajectory after a hopeless six-match winless run, spanning five losses and a no result.

Since then, KKR has won four successive matches and thrown their name back in the contention for the playoffs.

A heartening aspect of KKR's recent form is the return of Varun among the wickets, who has taken 10 wickets in his past five matches a...