Meet India star who started as a wicketkeeper, studied architecture, started playing professionally at 25, represents …. In IPL

On Sunday, Varun Chakravarthy's impressive ICC Champions Trophy debut, which included a five-wicket haul, led India win over New Zealand with 44 runs. His performance marked the best-ever bowling figures by an Indian debutant in the tournament.

Who is Varun Chakravarthy?

Born on August 29, 1991 in Karnataka' Bidar Varun Chakravarthy, a right-arm leg-spin bowler with a unique skill set, is also an engineering graduate.  Like legendary Indian cricketers Anil Kumble, S. Venkataraghavan, Erapalli Prasanna, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Javagal Srinath, and R. Ashwin, Chakravarthy holds a B.Arch degree from SRM Institute of Science and Technology. He gave up his job as an architect to pursue cricket professionally at the age of 25, as per reports. The star spinner is married to Neha Khedekar.

When did Varun Chakravarthy gained fame? 

Varun first gained prominence as a top pick in the 2019 IPL Auction, securing a high-value contract with Kings XI Punjab.  His unique bowling style and variations caught the attention of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) think tank, leading to his signing the following year. Chakravarthy initially joined KKR as a net bowler in 2018, impressing management with his abilities and earning a spot on the team.

Varun Chakravathy's cricket journey

The spinner started taking cricket seriously at the age of 26; earlier he was an architect and wanted to make movies. During a press conference he said, "So, I started cricket very late, pretty late. When I was 26, I started cricket. Before that, my dreams were all about being an architect and making movies. So, I've had different career paths. So, it has been different. After 26 is when I started dreaming about cricket. And all those things are happening. So yeah, it's been good right now," Varun Chakravarthy said.

The 33-year-old started his cricket career as a wicket-keeper. He played in school till the age of 17. However, he quit cricket to focus on his studies and became an architect. He later returned to cricket as a spinner after a knee injury.

From which IPL team India's star spinner play for?

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) retained Varun Chakravarthy for Rs 14 crore ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction, highlighting his importance to the franchise. Last season, he was KKR's second-highest wicket-taker, claiming 21 wickets in 15 matches.  With his current form, he is expected to play a key role for KKR in IPL 2025.