Few IPL stories are as improbable as the one of Varun Chakaravarthy. At 25 he was an architect who had never played serious league cricket; a year later he was the most expensive uncapped Indian at the IPL auction after a breakout TNPL season with Madurai Panthers. Kings XI Punjab paid INR 8.4 crore for him in 2019, an injury wiped out his debut season after one match, and Kolkata Knight Riders picked him up for INR 4 crore in 2020. That is where the mystery spinner made the league his own.
Since joining KKR, Chakaravarthy has bowled 94 innings of right-arm leg-break googlies, carrom balls and sliders that even elite batters struggle to pick. His 2024 season, 21 wickets at 19.14 as KKR’s joint lead spinner in a title-winning campaign, was the best of his career. He reached 100 IPL wickets in May 2025, and after six straight seasons as a first-choice KKR bowler he remains one of the most reliable wicket-takers in the tournament. This page covers Varun Chakaravarthy IPL stats in full: season-by-season numbers, career totals, auction price history, records and his IPL 2027 status.
Varun Chakaravarthy IPL Stats Overview
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Varun Chakaravarthy Vinod |
| IPL Debut | 2019 (Kings XI Punjab) |
| Role | Bowler (mystery spinner) |
| Batting Style | Right-handed |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm leg break googly |
| Current IPL Team | Kolkata Knight Riders |
| IPL Matches | 95 |
| IPL Wickets | 111 |
| Best Bowling | 5/20 |
| Bowling Average | 24.73 |
| Economy Rate | 7.72 |
| IPL 2027 Team | Not officially confirmed |
| IPL 2027 Price | Not officially confirmed |
Who Is Varun Chakaravarthy?
Varun Chakaravarthy Vinod was born on 29 August 1991 in Bidar, Karnataka, and represents Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket. He worked as an architect until the age of 25 before quitting to play full-time cricket, a decision that paid off within a year when his variations for Siechem Madurai Panthers in the 2018 TNPL made him the breakout star of the tournament. He made his T20 debut in that same season and was bought by Kings XI Punjab at the 2019 IPL auction from a base price of INR 20 lakh.
His India comeback is one of modern T20 cricket’s best stories. After a difficult first international stint in 2021, Chakaravarthy returned to the India T20I side in 2024 and rose to the top of the ICC T20I bowling rankings with 818 rating points, the highest ever for an Indian bowler. He was joint-leading wicket-taker of the 2026 T20 World Cup with 14 wickets as India won the tournament, and was also part of India’s Champions Trophy and Asia Cup winning squads. In the IPL, however, his story is entirely KKR: 82 of his 95 matches and 100 of his 111 wickets have come in purple and gold.
Varun Chakaravarthy IPL Teams
| Season | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Kings XI Punjab | Bought at auction |
| 2020 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Bought at auction |
| 2021 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Retained |
| 2022 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Retained |
| 2023 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Retained |
| 2024 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Retained |
| 2025 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Retained |
| 2026 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Retained |
| 2027 | – | Not officially confirmed |
Chakaravarthy’s IPL team history has exactly one change: one match for Kings XI Punjab in 2019, then Kolkata Knight Riders from 2020 onwards. He was retained by KKR ahead of both the 2022 and 2025 mega auctions, a sign of how central he is to their plans. His spin twin through this entire stretch has been Sunil Narine, and together with Andre Russell he has formed the core of KKR’s championship bowling attacks, including the 2024 title run under Shreyas Iyer.
Varun Chakaravarthy IPL 2024 Stats
| Matches | Wickets | Best Bowling | Average | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 21 | 3/16 | 19.14 | 8.04 |
2024 was Chakaravarthy’s finest IPL season. His 21 wickets came at a strike rate of 14.29, and he finished second in the Purple Cap race behind Harshal Patel. Bowling in tandem with Narine through the middle overs, he gave KKR a stranglehold few sides could break, and he was one of the defining performers of their third IPL title. His best figures of the season were 3/16 against Delhi Capitals.
Varun Chakaravarthy IPL 2025 Stats
| Matches | Wickets | Best Bowling | Average | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 17 | 3/22 | 22.53 | 7.66 |
Fresh from being retained for INR 12 crore at the 2025 mega auction, Chakaravarthy delivered another strong season: 17 wickets at an improved economy of 7.66. The highlight came at Eden Gardens on 7 May 2025, when his 2/18 against Chennai Super Kings took him to 100 IPL wickets in 83 innings, making him the joint-fastest spinner ever to the mark. His best of 3/22 also came in that season’s middle-overs chokeholds.
Varun Chakaravarthy IPL 2026 Stats
| Matches | Wickets | Best Bowling | Average | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 11 | 3/14 | 32.73 | 8.78 |
IPL 2026 was Chakaravarthy’s toughest season in purple and gold. His 11 wickets came at 32.73, comfortably the highest average of his KKR career, and his economy crept to 8.78 as batters attacked him more successfully than in previous years. His best showing was 3/14 against Rajasthan Royals. He arrived at the season as the world’s top-ranked T20I bowler, which makes the dip in IPL returns an interesting contrast rather than a verdict on his quality.
Varun Chakaravarthy IPL 2027 Stats
IPL 2027 statistics are not available yet because the season has not started. The player retention deadline is 15 November 2026, and the mini-auction is scheduled for December 2026, so no IPL 2027 team or price for Chakaravarthy has been officially confirmed. This page will be updated once KKR announce their retention list.
Varun Chakaravarthy IPL 2027 Team and Price
As of today, KKR have not officially confirmed whether Varun Chakaravarthy has been retained for IPL 2027. He was retained for INR 12 crore ahead of IPL 2026, and mini-auction years usually see franchises keep their settled cores, so KKR are widely expected to retain him, but that is expectation, not announcement. Check the IPL 2027 retention deadline, rules and purse guide for how the retention window works and when the list will be announced.
Varun Chakaravarthy IPL Career Batting Stats
| Matches | Innings | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rate | 50s | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95 | 15 | 31 | 10* | 5.17 | 58.49 | 0 | 0 |
Chakaravarthy is a genuine tailender. He has batted in only 15 of his 95 IPL innings, scoring 31 runs with three fours and no sixes.
Varun Chakaravarthy IPL Career Bowling Stats
| Matches | Innings | Overs | Runs Conceded | Wickets | Best Bowling | Average | Economy | Strike Rate | 4w | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95 | 94 | 355.4 | 2745 | 111 | 5/20 | 24.73 | 7.72 | 19.23 | 1 | 1 |
Varun Chakaravarthy IPL Stats by Year
| Season | Team | Mat | Overs | Runs | Wkts | Avg | Econ | BBI | 4w | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Kings XI Punjab | 1 | 3.0 | 35 | 1 | 35.00 | 11.66 | 1/35 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 13 | 52.0 | 356 | 17 | 20.94 | 6.84 | 5/20 | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 17 | 68.0 | 448 | 18 | 24.88 | 6.58 | 3/13 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 11 | 39.0 | 332 | 6 | 55.33 | 8.51 | 1/22 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 14 | 52.4 | 429 | 20 | 21.45 | 8.15 | 4/15 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 15 | 50.0 | 402 | 21 | 19.14 | 8.04 | 3/16 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 13 | 50.0 | 383 | 17 | 22.53 | 7.66 | 3/22 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 11 | 41.0 | 360 | 11 | 32.73 | 8.78 | 3/14 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | – | 95 | 355.4 | 2745 | 111 | 24.73 | 7.72 | 5/20 | 1 | 1 |
Varun Chakaravarthy IPL Highest Score
Chakaravarthy’s highest IPL score is 10 not out, which reflects his position as a number 10 or 11 batter for KKR. He has never batted higher than the tail and has never been asked to contribute with the bat beyond surviving a few balls. His batting record is essentially irrelevant to his value, which comes entirely from his bowling.
Varun Chakaravarthy IPL Wickets and Best Bowling
His 111 IPL wickets put him among the most productive spinners in the tournament’s modern era. His best bowling figures of 5/20 came against Delhi Capitals in Abu Dhabi in October 2020, when his mix of googlies and carrom balls ran through the middle order in one of the spells of that season. He added a four-wicket haul, 4/15, in 2023. Notably, 20 of his 21 wickets in 2024 came at under eight an over, which is why he finished second in the Purple Cap race despite playing three fewer matches than the winner.
Varun Chakaravarthy IPL Auction Price History
| Season | Team | Price (INR) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Kings XI Punjab | 8.40 crore | Auction |
| 2020 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 4.00 crore | Auction |
| 2021 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 4.00 crore | Retention |
| 2022 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 8.00 crore | Retention |
| 2023 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 8.00 crore | Retention |
| 2024 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 8.00 crore | Retention |
| 2025 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 12.00 crore | Retention |
| 2026 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 12.00 crore | Retention |
| 2027 | – | Not officially confirmed | Pending retention deadline |
The price curve tells the story of his rise: from INR 8.4 crore at auction in 2019, down to INR 4 crore when KKR bought him in 2020, then retention after retention as he proved himself. The jump to INR 12 crore at the 2025 mega auction put him among KKR’s six core retentions alongside Rinku Singh, Narine and Russell. A note on sources: some outlets list INR 12 crore for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, but the majority of retention records show INR 8 crore through 2024, rising to INR 12 crore in 2025.
Varun Chakaravarthy IPL Records and Achievements
- 5/20 against Delhi Capitals in October 2020, one of the best bowling figures of IPL 2020 and his only IPL five-wicket haul.
- Joint-fastest spinner to 100 IPL wickets, reaching the mark in 83 innings on 7 May 2025 against Chennai Super Kings.
- Finished second in the IPL 2024 Purple Cap race with 21 wickets at 19.14.
- KKR’s leading wicket-taker in 2021 (18 wickets) and 2023 (20 wickets).
- Key bowler in KKR’s IPL 2024 title win, their third championship.
- The most reliable Indian mystery spinner in the IPL since 2020, with an economy under 8 in five of his six full KKR seasons.
Varun Chakaravarthy’s IPL Performance Analysis
The season-by-season numbers show a clear three-act career. Act one, 2020 to 2021, was the arrival: 35 wickets in 30 matches at an economy under 7, including the 5/20 that announced him. Act two, 2022, was the slump almost every mystery spinner fears once batters decode them: 6 wickets at 55.33, and for a while his KKR future looked uncertain. Act three, 2023 to 2025, was the rebuild into a better bowler than the original: 58 wickets in 42 matches at 21.00, peaking with the 2024 title-season 21 wickets at 19.14.
What stands out across the whole career is the economy rate. Even in his poor 2022, it stayed at 8.51; across 355.4 overs it sits at 7.72, elite for a spinner who bowls almost exclusively in the middle overs when batters are set. The 2026 dip (11 wickets at 32.73) breaks a five-season pattern, but one down season at 34, coming right after he became the world’s top-ranked T20I bowler, reads more like a blip than a decline. If KKR retain him for 2027, as expected, he will start that season chasing 125 IPL wickets.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many IPL wickets does Varun Chakaravarthy have?
Varun Chakaravarthy has taken 111 wickets in 95 IPL matches at an average of 24.73 and an economy of 7.72, with best figures of 5/20.
Which team does Varun Chakaravarthy play for in the IPL?
Kolkata Knight Riders. He has played for KKR since 2020 after one season with Kings XI Punjab in 2019. His IPL 2027 team has not been officially confirmed yet.
What was Varun Chakaravarthy’s IPL 2024 price?
He was retained by KKR for INR 8 crore for the 2024 season (some sources list INR 12 crore). His retention price rose to INR 12 crore at the 2025 mega auction.
What are Varun Chakaravarthy’s best IPL bowling figures?
His best IPL bowling figures are 5/20 against Delhi Capitals in October 2020, the only five-wicket haul of his IPL career.
How many wickets did Varun Chakaravarthy take in IPL 2025?
He took 17 wickets in 13 matches in IPL 2025 at an average of 22.53 and an economy of 7.66, reaching 100 IPL wickets during the season.
Has Varun Chakaravarthy won the IPL Purple Cap?
No. His best finish was second in the Purple Cap race in 2024, when he took 21 wickets at 19.14 for the title-winning KKR side.
Will Varun Chakaravarthy play in IPL 2027?
Not officially confirmed. KKR’s retention decisions for IPL 2027 are due by 15 November 2026. He is widely expected to be retained after six straight seasons with the franchise, but nothing has been announced.
Sources and Data Notes
Season statistics are checked against iplt20.com, myKhel, CricTracker, Sportskeeda, SportsCafe and Latestly, with key figures cross-verified across multiple sources. Auction and retention prices are drawn from published KKR retention lists. Statistics and player information are checked against available reliable sources and may be updated as new IPL matches, transfers, or official announcements are confirmed.
Statistics updated through: 12 October 2026
