Kings XI buys architect-spinner for Rs 8.4 cr

Chennai, December 18

Tamil Nadu mystery spinner Varun Chakravarathy, who has as many as seven variations up his sleeve, is over the moon after being bought by Kings XI Punjab for a whopping Rs 8.4 crore, more than 40 times his base price, at the IPL auction here on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old from Chennai was an unknown quantity till he turned heads with his performances in the Tamil Nadu Premier League and the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

The architect-turned cricketer said getting a buyer for a base price of Rs 20 lakh was the only thing on his mind.

He broke into the TN 50-over team on the back of impressive performances in the TNPL for eventual champions Siechem Madurai Panthers and made his Ranji Trophy debut.

He said being picked by an IPL team would help him grow as a cricketer as he could learn from Indian stars, including KXIP captain and fellow Tamil Nadu spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

Varun was designing buildings a few years ago, having completed Bachelors in Architecture from SRM University in Chennai.

Also, Punjab’s wicketkeeper-batsman Prabh Simran, all of 18, has been taken by Preity Zinta-owned Kings XI Punjab for Rs 4.80 crore. — PTI

Rs 20 lakh is what Varun Chakravarathy of Tamil Nadu  was hoping for

Yuvraj Singh taken by Mumbai Indians for Rs 1 crore