There are plenty of upcoming stars in Indian cricket who have recently impressed the fans and experts in the last couple of seasons. One such name is the 33-year-old mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy. The Tamil Nadu bowler has been known to be a difficult bowler to pick for any batter in competitive cricket with his variety in pace and variations.
Though now Chakravarthy is one of the prominent bowlers for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), it has not really been a comfortable run for him from the word go. His career as a professional cricketer has been a roller coaster full of ups and downs. It is time to discuss this interesting career, which went on to give the Indian cricket fraternity another talented spinner who is now one of the biggest stars in the international arena.
1. Struggles and poor start to international cricket
Varun Chakravarthy had a late start to professional cricket, playing his first domestic game in 2018 at the age of 27. He made his IPL debut for the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in 2019 at the age of 28 but could not make an impact that season, playing only one game in the end. He was bought by KKR in 2020 and, due to some good performances, the leggie got his call-up in India’s T20I squad and was even part of T20 World Cup 2021. Unfortunately, the Bidar-born did not impress in the ICC event, where he was expensive and failed to take wickets. The 2022 IPL was also disastrous for him as he was not seen in the Indian team for a long time.
2. Redemption in IPL 2023 and 2024
While people thought that it might be the end of Chakravarthy in 2022, the KKR side surprisingly retained him in 2023. This is where his redemption started as he became one of the highest wicket takers for KKR in the IPL. Though KKR had a disappointing run in 2023, Varun still made an impact, becoming the highest wicket-taker for his franchise, taking 20 wickets from the 14 games he played. He continued the great form in 2024 as well, taking 21 wickets from 15 matches and winning his first IPL title.
3. Strong comeback and becoming Champions Trophy hero
After a string of impressive performances with KKR and in the domestic tournaments, Chakravarthy finally earned a comeback to the Men in Blue set-up, and shortly got added to the ODI squad against England right before the Champions Trophy. His last-minute inclusion raised eyebrows, but the bowler impressed and travelled to Dubai for the Champions Trophy as well. India emerged as triumphant in the tournament and Chakravarthy had a huge role to play, taking nine wickets in the tournament, the joint-highest for the Indian team. The leg-spinner became an overnight hero, and critics became fans of bowling skills almost instantly.
The ace bowler is currently busy playing for KKR in the ongoing IPL 2025. He will look to carry on his success from the Champions Trophy and help the Kolkata-based franchise defend their title, courtesy of his contributions with the ball.
