Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has carved a niche for himself as a crucial asset in India’s spin department. Fresh off a stellar performance in the 2025 Champions Trophy, where he claimed nine wickets, Chakravarthy played a huge role in India’s historic win. He partnered with fellow spinners Kuldeep Yadav (seven wickets), Ravindra Jadeja (five), and Axar Patel (five) to form a spin quartet that choked opposition batters.
Despite his recent success, the 33-year-old remains hungry for improvement, aiming to bring more variety to his bowling arsenal for the upcoming IPL 2025 season.
“The main thing is working on consistency, which is the toughest thing to master, and I am putting in constant work in order to achieve that,” Chakravarthy said in a release. “And of course, I am working on a few other deliveries which I’m hoping will come off nicely in the upcoming games.”
Varun Chakaravarthy on KKR’s chances at IPL 2025
Having played a key role in Kolkata Knight Riders’ championship-winning campaign last season, Chakravarthy is looking forward to another successful year with the franchise. KKR will begin their title defense against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Eden Gardens on Saturday, a fixture that promises to be a thrilling contest.
One of the most anticipated match-ups of the season will be his face-off with RCB’s stalwart, Virat Kohli. The wily mystery tweaker has dismissed Kohli once in 39 balls. The dismissal came in 2021 when the ex-RCB captain was having a poor run of form.
“Nothing in specific, just the situation of those matches which helped me pick wickets. In all those games, the conditions and the situations were completely favorable towards us, so I was able to extract the best possible result,” he stated.
“The squad looks good. I think it’s about cracking the code and having the best playing XI performing consistently. If we are able to get a set core in the first three matches, then we have great chances ahead in this season.”
KKR enters the season with a fresh leadership setup—Ajinkya Rahane will take over as captain, while T20 legend Dwayne Bravo joins as a mentor. While they have lost Shreyas Iyer and Gautam Gambhir, KKR still boast a superb squad.
Varun Chakaravarthy stats at IPL 2024
| Wickets | Innings | Economy | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 14 | 8.04 | 14.00 |
