India, May 3 -- Varun Chakaravarthy's season for Kolkata Knight Riders has moved beyond a simple wickets-and-economy reading. After the latest match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the stronger question is not whether he has bowled well. The sharper question is whether KKR's wins are being built around his impact.

The answer, through the latest SRH match, is yes.

KKR's win over SRH gave the pattern another major data point. Hyderabad were 105/1 in 8.4 overs, with Travis Head making 61 off 28 and Ishan Kishan adding 42. From that position, SRH had the launchpad for a 190-plus total. Instead, they were bowled out for 165 in 19 overs, losing 9 wickets for 60 runs.

Varun finished with 4-0-36-3. The impact was spectacular. His wickets came in ...