Varun Chakravarthy comes from David Hussey's school of late bloomers and made his Ranji Trophy debut for Tamil Nadu in the 2018-19 season, as a 27-year-old.

In the age-group cricket, Chakravarthy was a wicketkeeper-batsman but faced a roadblock in his first attempt. He dropped the idea of becoming a cricketer to become an architect. The job of an architect didn't excite him much, and it was only then that he decided to try his luck in cricket. The spinner made a return to cricket in 2018.

The Tamil Nadu-based spinner was spotted for the plethora of variations by Kings XI Punjab and subsequently was picked up by the franchise in the IPL 2019 auction for a mammoth INR 8.5 crore, which was 42 times his base price of INR 20 lakh.

Chakravarthy debuted against KKR in the IPL 2019 but was taken to the cleaners by Sunil Narine in his very first over of the IPL career. A finger fracture ruled him out of the remainder of the tournament nd was out for a fairly long time. However, as the saying suggests, 'fortune favors the brave', Chakravarthy became a millionaire yet again. Kolkata Knight Riders bought the mystery spinner for INR 4 crores for the 2020 season, and the Karnataka-born didn't disappoint.

The mystery spinner had a sensational 2018-19 domestic season for his state team, where he impressed many with seven different variations. However, after failing in IPL 2019, Varun could not have asked for any better partner than Narine for his maiden stint with KKR.

KKR team management showed faith in the spinner as he played ahead of the chinaman Kuldeep Yadav. He ended the season with 17 wickets to his name, including a fifer against Delhi Capitals.

After a successful season, the spinner earned his maiden international call-up for the T20I against Australia Down Under in 2020-21, but unfortunately missed the tour due to injury. He was recalled for the home T20ls against England in early 2021, but the spinner again missed the tour after failing the fitness test.

In September 2021, Varun Chakravarthy was selected for India’s squad in the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, but he went wicketless in the three matches he played.

Varun Chakravarthy had an impressive 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, finishing as the second-highest wicket-taker with 21 wickets at an average of 19.14 and an economy rate of 8.04.

He carried his fine form into the 2024–25 Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he claimed 18 wickets in 6 matches for Tamil Nadu, securing the second spot on the tournament's wicket-takers list, just behind Arshdeep Singh.

After a nearly three-year absence, he made his international comeback in October 2024 during the first T20I against Bangladesh in Gwalior, where he impressed with figures of 3/31. The following month, he claimed his maiden T20I five-wicket haul, taking 5/17 against South Africa in Gqeberha.

In 2025, Chakravarthy delivered a standout performance in the five-match T20I series against England, earning the Player of the Series award after taking 14 wickets, including a second five-wicket haul of 5/24. His impressive form earned him a place in India’s ODI squad against England, and he made his ODI debut in Cuttack at the age of 33 years and 164 days, becoming India's second-oldest ODI debutant after Farokh Engineer.

He was then included in India’s 15-member squad for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. In only his second ODI match, he recorded his maiden ODI five-for, taking 5/42 against New Zealand in the group stage. Chakravarthy continued his excellent form, picking up two wickets in both the semifinal against Australia and the final against New Zealand. He finished the tournament as the joint second-highest wicket-taker, with 9 wickets in 3 matches at an average of 15.11, playing a pivotal role in India’s successful campaign.

(As of March 2025)