The 27-year-old mystery spinner Varun Chakravarty has recently become a star after the IPL 2019 Auction when Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) bought him for INR 8.40 crore – the joint most expensive cricketer in that auction (Rajasthan Royals also bought Jaydev Unadkat for INR 8.40 crore). After KXIP secured him, their skipper Ravichandran Ashwin called him to congratulate.
The Tamil Nadu leg-spinner had the base value of INR 20 lakh at the beginning of the IPL 2019 Auction. After his turn came up, Delhi Capitals started the bidding process and then Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders fought for him for a long time before KXIP secured him with the 42 times of his base value.
Later, the Indian off-spinner and KXIP skipper Ravichandran Ashwin contacted him to congratulate and welcome to the team.
Talking about that moment, Varun told TOI, “The moment I was hugging my father, Ashwin called me. He said – ‘Welcome to KXIP. I am really happy for you. We will meet soon. All the best’.”
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Varun is excited to play under Ashwin’s leadership, who had played the all formats of international cricket for the Indian cricket team and has huge experiences.
The mystery spinner quoted, “I am really happy. I am excited to play under Ashwin’s leadership. We are from the same state and he will be my captain in the IPL. He is such a talented and great player. I am looking forward to a great season. Ashwin has an abundance of experience. He has played all formats of the game. I will learn a lot from him.”
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Varun is an architect who used to earn INR 20,000 per project. Believing his ability, the spinner was confident to be picked up during the latest auction but didn’t expect this much.
Talking about choosing cricket over his architecture, Varun said, “At the back of my mind I knew I would be picked, but I didn’t expect this much. I used to earn Rs 20,000 per architecture project. I love to do it because I have spent five years studying the course. I will try to stay in touch with it, alongside cricket but I can’t comment on the future. Cricket was always my first love. I struggled initially in architecture. I found it really tough at that time because the real estate market was down. So, I decided to devote as much as time to cricket as possible. And by God’s grace my hard work paid off. I gave first priority to cricket because I knew I am doing well in it and can take my career a long way.”
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Speaking about the reaction of his family when he was picked up by KXIP, Varun added, “Everyone was so happy after I was picked.”
Varun first came to the limelight for his bowling during this season’s Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL 2018) where he bagged nine wickets in 10 matches with the average of 20.88. Later, making his List A debut during this season’s Vijay Hazare Trophy, the Tamil Nadu spinner finished as the second leading wicket-taker in the tournament by taking 22 wickets in nine matches (average 16.68).
Talking about the importance of TNPL, Varun said, “TNPL gave me a platform and IPL has recognition. TNPL gave me huge exposure. I learnt how to bowl in death overs and under pressure.”
The former Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble is his idol in cricket. He regularly watches Kumble’s bowling videos and tries to develop his skills.
Varun said, “I watch his (Kumble’s) videos daily. I watch him very closely. His control over line and length is amazing. He bamboozled many batsmen in his playing days. He is an enigma with the ball. Watching his videos, helps me a lot on the cricket field.
“I have never met Anil Kumble, but I hope the IPL will give me a chance to meet the legend.”
Varun is famously known as mystery spinner as he can bowl seven variations – the offbreak, legbreak, googly, carrom ball, flipper, top-spinner and slider.
He added, “I have played a lot of gully cricket in my life. Gully cricket has helped me learn those tricks. I don’t press the panic button in pressure situations. I just try to read a batsman’s mind and read his footwork and then apply one of those seven deliveries. You will see all seven variations in the IPL.”
