Did CSK err by not picking Varun Chakravarthy in 2018 & heeding to ex-spinner's advice?

Harbhajan Singh revealed that he had asked the CSK management to pick Varun Chakravarthy straight away in 2018

Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh revealed that he had recommened the CSK management to pick Varun Chakravarthy way back in 2018 but they did not pick him. Touted as India’s mystery spinner and one of their best T20I bowlers currently, the Tamil Nadu spinner made his IPL debut way back in 2019 where he played just one game for PBKS. Thereafter, he has been an integral part of KKR.

‘Varun was often unplayable’

Speaking to Times of India, Harbhajan, who was a part of CSK in IPL 2018 and 2019, revealed that he had asked the CSK management to pick Chakravarthy straight away after witnessing his bowling in the nets in 2018. The former Indian cricketer said that the Tamil Nadu spinner was often unplayable, making him a champion bowler. However, CSK never showed interest in Varun.

“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 often unplayable in the nets,” Harbhajan said.

Well, CSK’s loss was KKR’s gain. Chakravarthy has 100 wickets to his name in IPL from 82 matches, 99 scalps coming from playing for the Knight Riders. Since his stint with the three-time champions, he has grown leaps and bounds, emerging as India’s go-to bowlers in T20Is over the last few years. In the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026, Chakravarthy finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker, with 14 wickets to his name. The only reason why he didn’t bag the award for the highest wicket-taker in the tournament was because Jasprit Bumrah’s average and economy rate was superior. Regardless, Varun is a force to be reckoned with and KKR will unleash him once again to torment the opposition in IPL 2026.