From architect to India international – that’s genuinely one of cricket’s wildest stories! Varun Chakaravarthy left his architecture career chasing cricket dreams late in life. The Tamil Nadu mystery spinner now baffles batters across formats with his variations.
His carrom ball and googly combinations leave batters clueless at the crease. Multiple five-wicket hauls in T20Is show his quality at the international level clearly. Now he continues spinning magic for the franchise that believed in him first.
His IPL Team for 2026
Kolkata Knight Riders retained Varun Chakaravarthy as their premier spinner for the 19th season. The IPL Team discovered him through TNPL performances and signed him years ago. His mystery spin became absolutely crucial during their successful championship campaigns repeatedly.
He’s been KKR’s frontline spinner delivering match-winning spells when pressure mounts the highest. The IPL Team relies on his variations to control the middle overs completely. His carrom ball is genuinely unreadable for most batters facing him.
His late entry into professional cricket makes his success even more remarkable. The Team values his ability to take wickets during powerplay and death overs. Varun Chakaravarthy won the 2025 Champions Trophy with India before this retention happened.
His IPL Price Details
His IPL Price for 2026 stands at ₹12 Crore unchanged currently. That’s a premium salary for a specialist T20 spinner honestly! The money reflects his consistent wicket-taking across multiple IPL seasons.
The amount stayed the same from his 2025 retention without any changes. Mystery spinners taking wickets regularly command such high salaries in modern T20 cricket. This makes him among the highest-paid Indian spinners in IPL history.
Compare his Price to other leg-spinners retained recently – he’s valued highly. Varun Chakaravarthy’s international performances justify every rupee of this substantial investment. The investment accounts for both IPL success and India recognition together.
Career Journey and Playing Style
Varun Chakaravarthy worked as an architect before switching careers to cricket completely. He rose through Tamil Nadu domestic cricket taking wickets in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. TNPL performances caught KKR’s attention leading to his IPL contract eventually.
His right-arm leg-spin includes deceptive carrom ball and googly variations primarily. Those mystery deliveries confuse batters who struggle to read his hand movements. India selected him for T20Is where he grabbed multiple five-wicket hauls impressively.
He contributed to India’s 2025 Champions Trophy victory with crucial wickets throughout. He enters this season as KKR’s most important spinner without doubt. Expect him to deliver those mystery spells controlling middle overs throughout their campaign!
