Ranked No. 2 in the ICC men’s T20I bowlers’ rankings and the joint-highest wicket-taker in India’s successful Men’s T20 World Cup title defence, Varun Chakaravarthy entered the Indian Premier League with considerable expectations. Yet, over the last month, the mystery spinner has appeared a shadow of his usual self.

The trend that began in the closing stages of the T20 World Cup continued at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday night, where Mumbai Indians openers Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton took him apart in Kolkata Knight Riders’ season-opener. With KKR’s pace resources already depleted due to multiple drop-outs, the onus was on Varun to provide breakthroughs. Instead, repeated errors in length and a few freebies allowed MI’s openers to dictate terms, turning the 221-run chase into a cake-walk.

KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane, however, backed the spinner to bounce back, attributing the dip to mental fatigue following a high-intensity tournament.

“Every player goes through this phase. He is working hard and his attitude is right. Probably opposition batters are playing him well. Coming from a high-intensity tournament to another high-intensity tournament, it is mentally challenging,” Rahane said.

Rahane urged the experienced spinner to stay relaxed and avoid overthinking. “He shouldn’t think too much about results. If he can switch off, stay relaxed and keep his mind calm, I am sure he will do well. There is no doubt about his attitude or work ethic. It’s always about the mind,” he added.

The numbers underline the recent struggle. Varun’s last four outings in the T20 World Cup produced figures of 15-0-178-4, including a 64-run hammering in the semifinal against England at the same venue. Add to that the spell of 4-0-48-0 in his IPL-opener and the economy rate of two runs a ball is alarming.

Whether Varun can put behind consecutive Wankhede setbacks may shape KKR’s campaign going forward.