Harbhajan Singh’s recollection of Varun Chakaravarthy from the Chennai Super Kings nets in 2018 offers more than just praise. It opens up a fascinating angle around one of India’s leading T20 bowlers - that CSK had an early look at him, were urged to move for him, and still let the opportunity pass. Years later, Varun is no longer a mystery spinner waiting for a break. He is an India regular in the format, a proven IPL force, and a bowler whose rise now makes that old look even more significant.
Speaking about Varun’s journey with the Times of India, Harbhajan Singh revealed that he had recognised the spinner’s quality well before the wider cricketing world fully caught on.
“First things first, he is a champion bowler. I first saw him at the Chennai Super Kings nets in 2018, where he was a practice bowler. I told the CSK management to pick him straight away, which they didn’t, because even then he was unplayable in the nets,” Harbhajan Singh said.
Harbhajan’s statement is not just a generic praise from afar or a former cricketer reacting after the fact. He is describing a moment from inside a major IPL setup, when Varun was still only a practice bowler trying to break through. The striking part is not just that Harbhajan rated him highly, but that he felt strongly enough to recommend an immediate signing.
A missed CSK call, and Varun’s rise after it
{{/usCountry}}A missed CSK call, and Varun’s rise after it
{{/usCountry}}What followed only sharpens the hindsight around Harbhajan’s words. CSK did not act on that recommendation, but Varun Chakaravarthy eventually found his place in the IPL and built a reputation as one of the most difficult spinners to line up in T20 cricket. His mystery, control, and ability to disrupt batting rhythm made him a major asset, particularly in pressure situations when batters often struggle to read him.
Over time, he became far more than a domestic prospect with unusual skills. Varun developed into a match-winner in franchise cricket and then earned his place in India’s T20 setup, where he has increasingly been seen as a specialist weapon rather than a supporting option. That journey is what makes Harbhajan’s recollection so compelling now. It frames Varun’s success not as a sudden rise, but as the fulfilment of a quality that had already been visible for years.
For CSK, it is one of those what-could-have-been stories that franchise cricket often throws up. For Varun, it is a reminder of how far he has come from being an unplayable net bowler to becoming a champion bowler in the eyes of one of India’s greatest spinners.