Varun Chakravarthy
Varun Chakravarthy Vinod (born 29 August 1991) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the India national team as a right-arm leg spin bowler. He represents Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket, and plays for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League and Dindigul Dragons in the Tamil Nadu Premier League. He was a member of the Indian team that won the 2026 T20 World Cup, 2025 Champions Trophy and the 2025 Asia Cup. In December 2025, he became the highest rated Indian bowler ever in the ICC rankings for Twenty20 Internationals with 818 points.
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| Full name | Varun Chakaravarthy Vinod | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 29 August 1991 Bidar, Karnataka, India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm leg break googly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Bowler | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| ODI debut (cap 259) | 9 February 2025 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 9 March 2025 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 29 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut (cap 87) | 25 July 2021 v Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 8 March 2026 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I shirt no. | 29 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Tirupur Tamizhans | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | Madurai Panthers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–present | Tamil Nadu | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–present | Kolkata Knight Riders | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–present | Dindigul Dragons | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 8 March 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Varun Chakravarthy Vinod (born 29 August 1991) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the India national team as a right-arm leg spin bowler. He represents Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket, and plays for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League and Dindigul Dragons in the Tamil Nadu Premier League. He was a member of the Indian team that won the 2026 T20 World Cup, 2025 Champions Trophy and the 2025 Asia Cup. In December 2025, he became the highest rated Indian bowler ever in the ICC rankings for Twenty20 Internationals with 818 points.[1]
Early life
[edit]Varun Chakravarthy Vinod was born on 29 August 1991 in Bidar, Karnataka, to Vinod Chakravarthy, an ITS officer working for BSNL, and Malini. His father is of half-Tamil and half-Malayali descent, while his mother is a Kannadiga.[2][3][4] He was brought up in Adyar, Chennai.[3]
Varun did his schooling at Kendriya Vidyalaya CLRI and St. Patrick's School in Chennai. He initially played cricket as a wicket-keeper but quit the sport to focus on academics. He obtained a bachelor's degree in architecture from SRM University. At the age of 25, he gave up his architect career to pursue cricket professionally.[5][6] While starting out as a pace bowler, he turned to spin bowling after a knee injury in early 2017 that kept him out of action for six months.[7][8]
Domestic career
[edit]Varun came into the limelight during the 2018 season of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), where his nine wickets at an economy rate of 4.70 helped Madurai Panthers win their maiden TNPL title.[9] He made his List A debut for Tamil Nadu in the 2018-19 season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy on 20 September 2018.[10] He was the leading wicket-taker for Tamil Nadu in the tournament, with 22 dismissals in nine matches.[11] He made his first-class debut for Tamil Nadu in the 2018-19 edition of the Ranji Trophy on 12 November 2018.[12]
In December 2018, Varun was bought by the Kings XI Punjab in the player auction for the 2019 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the price of ₹84 million (US$990,000).[13][14] He made his Twenty20 debut for the team on 27 March 2019 in a match against Kolkata Knight Riders.[15] His first over went for 25 runs, the highest number of runs conceded by a bowler on debut in the IPL.[16] He played just the one match in the season,[2] and was released by the Kings XI Punjab ahead of the 2020 IPL auction.[17] In the auction ahead of the 2020 IPL season, he was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders for ₹40 million (US$470,000).[18][19] On 24 October 2020, he took his first five-wicket haul in the IPL, with figures of 5 wickets for 20 runs, against the Delhi Capitals.[20] He finished as the team's highest wicket-taker in the season with 17 wickets.[21]
On 3 May 2021, Varun, and his teammate Sandeep Warrier, tested positive for COVID-19.[22] As a result, the match between the Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore was called off, and the tournament was later suspended.[23] Varun topped the wicket charts for the Knight Riders in the 2021, and In the 2023 IPL seasons.[24][25] He was the second-highest wicket-taker in the 2024 IPL season with 21 dismissals at an average of 19.14 and economy rate of 8.04.[26] He took 18 wickets in six matches for Tamil Nadu at the 2024–25 Vijay Hazare Trophy and finished second on the wicket-takers' list behind Arshdeep Singh.[27]
International career
[edit]In October 2020, Varun was named in India's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for their away series against Australia.[28] However, on 9 November 2020, he was ruled out of the series after suffering an injury.[29] In February 2021, he was named in India's T20I squad for their home series against England, but did not make it to the playing XI.[30] In June 2021, Varun was named in India's One Day International (ODI) and T20I squads for their away series against Sri Lanka.[31] He made his T20I debut on 25 July 2021 in the first match of the series,[32] and took the wicket of the Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka.[33] In September 2021, he was named in the Indian squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.[34] However, he went wicket-less in his three appearances in the tournament.[35]
In October 2024, Varun made his international comeback after nearly three years in the first match of the T20I series against Bangladesh, and took three wickets.[36] He took his maiden T20I five-wicket haul when he finished with figures of 5/17 in the second match of the away series against South Africa on 10 November 2024.[37] He finished as the highest wicket taker of the series with 12 dismissals in four matches.[38] In early 2025, he won the Player of the series award in the five-match T20I series against England, after taking 14 wickets including his second five-wicket haul (5/24) during the third match of the series.[39][40] He made his ODI debut in the subsequent ODI series against England.[2][41] At 33 years and 164 days old, he became the second oldest ODI debutant for India after Farokh Engineer.[42]
In February 2025, Varun was named in India's 15-member squad for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.[43] He took 5/42 in a group stage match against New Zealand, his maiden ODI five-wicket haul in his second ODI appearance.[44] He took two wickets each in the semifinal against Australia and in the final against New Zealand. He finished as the tournament's joint second-highest wicket-taker with nine wickets in three matches at an average of 15.11, as India won the tournament.[45][46] He was subsequently named in the Team of the Tournament by the International Cricket Council.[47] He was part of the Indian squad for the 2025 Asia Cup held in September 2025.[48] He finished as the second highest wicket taker for India behind Kuldeep Yadav, with seven wickets in six matches, as India won the title.[49][50]
Varun was named in the India squad for the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India in February–March 2026.[51] India won the tournament by beating New Zealand in the final,[52][53] and Varun finished as the joint highest wicket taker with 14 wickets.[54]
Personal life
[edit]Varun made a cameo appearance in the 2014 Indian Tamil-language sports drama film Jeeva as a club cricketer.[55][56] On 11 December 2020, he married his longtime girlfriend Neha Khedekar in Chennai.[57]
References
[edit]- ^ "Varun Chakaravarthy becomes highest-rated Indian T20I bowler of all-time". Dainik Bhaskar. 17 December 2025. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
- ^ a b c "Varun Chakravarthy". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 13 August 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
- ^ a b Nair, Aneesh (10 December 2020). "Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and his Kerala connection". Manorama. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
- ^ "Basu Shanker | Varun Chakravarthy | Mystery Spinner | Cricket | Interview | Time Out with Basu | E15". 17 September 2022. Event occurs between 2:20 and 2:46. Archived from the original on 3 March 2025. Retrieved 3 March 2025 – via YouTube.
- ^ Dani, Bipin (30 October 2020). "Varun Chakravarthy is spinning reality out of dreams". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ "'Wasn't expecting it': Architect-turned-cricketer Varun Chakravarthy after being awarded India call-up". WION. 27 October 2020. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ PR, Srinidhi (18 December 2018). "Varun Chakaravarthy: From fourth-division player to IPL's million-dollar baby". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
- ^ Menon, Vishal (19 December 2018). "IPL 2019 Auction: Stock jumps for unknown commodity Varun Chakravarthy". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
- ^ RS, Prasad (12 September 2018). "Spinner Varun hopes to be architect of Tamil Nadu's success". The Times of India. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
- ^ "Elite, Group C, Vijay Hazare Trophy at Chennai, Sep 20 2018". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
- ^ "Vijay Hazare Trophy, 2016/17 - Tamil Nadu: Batting and bowling averages". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
- ^ "Elite, Group B, Ranji Trophy at Tirunelveli, Nov 12-15 2018". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ "IPL 2019 auction: The list of sold and unsold players". ESPNcricinfo. 18 December 2018. Archived from the original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
- ^ "IPL 2019 Auction: Who got whom". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
- ^ "6th Match (N), Indian Premier League at Kolkata, Mar 27 2019". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- ^ "Sunil Narine makes it a first over to forget for Varun Chakravarthy". ESPNcricinfo. 27 March 2019. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- ^ "Where do the eight franchises stand before the 2020 auction?". ESPNcricinfo. 15 November 2019. Archived from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
- ^ "Decoding the mystery: Who is Varun Chakravarthy?". ESPNcricinfo. 8 January 2018. Archived from the original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
- ^ "IPL auction analysis: Do the eight teams have their best XIs in place?". ESPNcricinfo. 20 December 2019. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- ^ "Varun Chakravarthy took his first five-wicket haul". Scroll.in. 24 October 2020. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
- ^ "Most wickets, IPL 2020-21". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ Gollapudi, Nagraj (3 May 2021). "Chakravarthy, Warrier positive for Covid-19, KKR vs RCB rescheduled". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
- ^ "KKR Stars Varun Chakravarthy, Sandeep Warrier Test Positive For Coronavirus, Kolkata versus Bangalore IPL 2021 Game Rescheduled". India.com. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ "Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) IPL 2021 Stats & Records: Most Runs, Wickets & Catches, Highest & Lowest Score - myKhel.com". My Khel. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
- ^ "Most wickets, IPL 2023". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ "Varun Chakravarthy rewarded for hard work on tough pitches in IPL: Parthiv Patel". India Today. 29 September 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ "Most wickets For Vijay Hazare Trophy, 2024/25". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ "Rishabh Pant omitted from India's white-ball squads, Varun Chakravarthy in T20I squad". ESPNcricinfo. 26 October 2020. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
- ^ Karhadkar, Amol (9 November 2020). "Kohli to go on paternity leave after 1st Australia Test; Rohit included for Tests, Varun Chakravarthy injured". The Hindu. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
- ^ "India's squad for Paytm T20I series announced". Board of Control for Cricket in India. Archived from the original on 9 December 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- ^ "Shikhar Dhawan to captain India on limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka". ESPNcricinfo. 10 June 2021. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
- ^ "1st T20I (N), Colombo (RPS), Jul 25 2021, India tour of Sri Lanka". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ "India vs Sri Lanka: 'He's got an X-factor,' says Laxman as he praises Varun Chakravarthy on his debut performance". The Hindustan Times. 26 July 2021. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^ "India's T20 World Cup squad: R Ashwin picked, MS Dhoni mentor". ESPNcricinfo. 8 September 2021. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- ^ "Cracks to craftsmanship: Varun Chakravarthy redesigns his Dubai story". India Today. 3 March 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ "Varun Chakravarthy on dream comeback in India vs Bangladesh T20 cricket match: 'Feels like rebirth' | Mint". Live Mint. 7 October 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ ""Combination of both my consistency and overspin": Varun Chakaravarthy on his unique bowling style after India's loss to South Africa". The Hindustan Times. 11 November 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ "Indian in South Africa 2024". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ "Varun Chakaravarthy added to India's ODI squad for England series, Shubman Gill says". The Indian Express. 4 February 2025. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
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- ^ "IND vs ENG Cricket Scorecard, 2nd ODI at Cuttack, February 09, 2025". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 24 June 2025. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ "India vs England Cuttack ODI: Varun Chakravarthy makes ODI debut, second oldest Indian to do so in the format". The Indian Express. 9 February 2025. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ Gollapudi, Nagraj (11 February 2025). "Bumrah ruled out of Champions Trophy; Varun a late inclusion in India squad". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ "CT 2025: Varun reveals mental battle with old Dubai memories, approach to ODI bowling following fifer against NZ". The Tribune. 3 March 2025. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ "Most wickets For ICC Champions Trophy, 2024/25". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
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- ^ "ICC announces Champions Trophy 2025 Team of the Tournament". International Cricket Council. 10 March 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
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- ^ "Most Wickets, 2026 Men's T20 World Cup". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
- ^ "When KKR's mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy acted in Tamil film!". The Week. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ "KKR spinner Varun Chakravarthy acted in a Tamil movie Jeeva back in 2014". CricTracker. 28 October 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ "கிரிக்கெட் வீரர் வருண் சக்ரவர்த்தி நீண்ட நாள் தோழியுடன் திருமணம்; ரசிகர்கள் வாழ்த்து" [Varun Chakravarthu got married]. The Indian Express (in Tamil). 11 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
External links
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