In the IPL auction that happened at Jaipur today, one of the highest bid players came across as a surprise since not many people are aware of the young bowler from Tamil Nadu.

‘Mystery spinner’ Varun Chakravarthy has been taken by Kings XI Punjab for a whopping sum of Rs 8.4 crore for the 2019 IPL. He had started out playing cricket as a wicketkeeper-batsman at the age of 13, where he had played for his school cricket team. However, he took a break from the sport to pursue an academic career. A few years later, he resumed playing cricket, though this time as a pacer. He found recognition at the 2018 Tamil Nadu Premier League, where he took the Siechem Madurai Panthers to victory with 9 wickets at an economy of 4.7. He followed it up by being the highest wicket-taker (22) in the group stages of Vijay Hazare Trophy in October.

“I thought the price was a bit too much, I didn't expect it. I was thinking they’ll take me for my base price (Rs. 20 lakh). I swear I was expecting only to be taken at the base price,” Varun said, post the auction.

We can’t wait to see how the young talent from Tamil Nadu fares at his debut IPL match in 2019.