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Varun Chakaravarthy (Indian Cricketer)
Varun Chakravarty was born on 29 August 1991 in Bidar, Karnataka. He is an Indian cricketer who plays as a leg spin bowler. He plays for the domestic teams of Tamil Nadu and Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Varun proved his mettle in the domestic T20 tournament in Tamil Nadu by introducing a variety of spin to his bowling, after which he was bought by Kings XI Punjab for INR 8.4 crore in the IPL 2019 auction, making him the current the most expensive player.
Varun excelled in IPL 2020 for Kolkata Knight Riders, taking 17 wickets at an average of 20.94 and impressing with a 5-wicket haul against Delhi Capitals. Due to his performance, he was included in the Indian team in 2021 and went on to represent India nationally. In the 2021 IPL season, he also took 18 wickets and was considered the main spinner of Kolkata Knight Riders.
Varun is known as the “mystery spinner” due to his unique style and different bowling varieties and his performance is considered a major success factor for the team.
Early Life
Varun Chakaravarthy was born on 29 August 1991 in Bidar, Karnataka. He received his early education at Kendriya Vidyalaya CLRI and St. Patrick’s Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School in Chennai, where his interest in cricket began. Later, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from SRM University. However, at the age of 25, Varun quit his job as an architect to pursue his dream of cricket and decided to pursue a cricket career entirely.
Profile of Varun Chakaravarthy
Varun Chakaravarthy is a popular Indian leg-spinner who hails from Tamil Nadu and plays for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL). His bowling has a unique “mystery spin” style similar to that of Sri Lankan spinner Ajanta Mendes. Varun started his cricket career as a wicketkeeper but later switched to fast bowler. After the injury, he improved his skills in spin bowling and this decision soon catapulted him to the heights of fame.
Varun took 25 wickets in Chennai’s league cricket through his variable bowling skills and became a key player for Tamil Nadu in the TNPL due to his excellent economy. After his impressive performance in TNPL 2018, he was included in the Tamil Nadu state team. Varun’s attributes included his unique bowling economy and high number of dot balls, which made him the standout player in the league.
He was bought by Kings XI Punjab for 8.4 crores in the IPL 2019 auction but was later added to their squad by Kolkata Knight Riders. In IPL 2020 and 2021, Varun Chakaravarthy excelled for Kolkata and took 17 and 18 wickets respectively, making him the main spinner for his team. However, the 2022 season saw a decline in his performances, which led to him being dropped from the playing XI.
Varun Chakaravarthy’s cricketing journey has proved to be a great challenge and a path to success for him. After initially starting as a wicket-keeper batsman, he pursued a degree in architecture and then returned to his passion at the age of 25 to take up professional cricket. He went on to win the TNPL title while playing for Madurai in 2018 and later became the highest wicket-taker for Tamil Nadu in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Playing for Kolkata in IPL 2020, he proved himself as a successful spinner and his performance earned him a place in the Indian team for the first time. He made his T20 International debut against Sri Lanka in 2021 and was later included in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 squad.
Varun Chakaravarthy is very popular among cricket fans due to his unique bowling technique and “mystery spin” and his presence plays an important role for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League.
Career
Varun Chakaravarthy made his List A debut for Tamil Nadu in the Vijay Hazare Trophy on 20 September 2018. He became Tamil Nadu’s most successful bowler in this tournament by taking 22 wickets in nine matches. In the same year, he also made his first-class debut in the Ranji Trophy on 12 November. In December 2018, he was bought by Kings XI Punjab for a whopping Rs 8.4 crore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. He made his Twenty20 debut for Punjab on 27 March 2019, however, his first over proved costly, conceding 25 runs, a unique record for a bowler on IPL debut.
He was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2020 auction and this time Varun Chakaravarthy impressed everyone with his performance. On 24 October 2020, in a match against Delhi Capitals, he took 5 wickets for 20 runs and achieved his first five-wicket haul. In IPL 2021, he became the highest wicket-taker for Kolkata Knight Riders and proved to be a key player for his team.
In October 2020, Varun Chakaravarthy was included in India’s T20 squad for the series against Australia but was ruled out of the squad due to injury. He was again included in the T20 squad for the series against England in February 2021. He was also selected in India’s ODI and T20 squads for the series against Sri Lanka in June 2021. He made his T20 International debut on 25 July 2021 against Sri Lanka and took the wicket of Dasan Shanaka. In September 2021, Chakaravarthy was named part of the Indian squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.
Personal Life
Varun Chakaravarthy made a cameo appearance in the 2014 Tamil film Jeeva, playing a club cricketer. On 11 December 2020, he married his longtime friend Neha Khedekar in a private ceremony in Chennai.
On 3 May 2021, Chakaravarthy and his teammate Sandeep Warrier tested positive for COVID-19. Due to this the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore was canceled and subsequently, the IPL had to be temporarily suspended.
Conclusion
Varun Chakaravarthy’s story is a reflection of hard work, determination, and quest. He gave up a stable job in architecture to take up cricket as a career in his life and made a unique mark for himself in the world of cricket. Known as the mystery spinner, Varun has excelled in various cricket leagues and impressed everyone with his excellent skills in the IPL.
Despite Chakaravarthy injuries, his hard work and dedication led him to the Indian national team, where he also showcased his talent at the international level. His story in cricket proves that if the determination is strong, it is possible to overcome difficulties and challenges. Varun Chakaravarthy is a great role model for budding cricketers, who teaches that with passion and hard work any dream can be made a reality.
Cricket Career Statistics
Personal Information
| Name | Info |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Batting | Right-handed |
| Bowling | Right-arm Leg-Break |
| Role | Bowler |
International information
| National side | India (2021—present) |
| T20I debut (cap 87) | 25 July 2021 v Sri Lanka |
| Last T20I | 8 November 2024 v South Africa |
| T20I shirt no. | 29 |
Domestic Team Information
| Years | Team |
| 2018–present | Tamil Nadu |
| 2019 | Kings XI Punjab |
| 2020–present | Kolkata Knight Riders (squad no. 29) |
Career Statistics
| Competition | ODI | T20I | FC | LA |
| Competition | T20I | FC | LA | T20 |
| Matches | 10 | 1 | 17 | 91 |
| Runs scored | 0 | – | 91 | 31 |
| Batting average | – | – | 13.00 | 3.87 |
| 100s/50s | 0/0 | – | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| Top score | – | – | 32 | 10* |
| Balls bowled | 231 | 234 | 868 | 2,041 |
| Wickets | 10 | 1 | 41 | 106 |
| Bowling average | 23.00 | 105.00 | 15.00 | 23.33 |
| 5 wickets in innings | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 10 wickets in the match | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Best bowling | 5/17 | 1/105 | 5/9 | 5/20 |
| Catches/stumpings | 1/– | 0/– | 6/– | 15/– |
