Deepak Chahar

Deepak Chahar is a classical swing bowler who added T20 smarts to his game to pick up 6 for 7 against Bangladesh in 2019, then the best bowling figures in T20Is.

After making a sensational first-class cricket debut for Rajasthan in 2010-11, taking 8 for 10 in Hyderabad's 21 all out, Chahar struggled with injuries and fitness. He then rediscovered himself as a T20 bowler, blossoming under the captaincy of MS Dhoni in Chennai Super Kings' triumphant return to the IPL in 2018. He did even better next season, finishing third on the wickets table, with 22 at a strike rate of 17.5, including 3 for 26 in the final. Super Kings paid US$1.8 million to keep him at the 2022 auction. However, a back injury ruled him out of that season's IPL and from the T20 World Cup, for which he was in the reserves, later in the year.

A bowler in the mould of Praveen Kumar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Chahar learned swing bowling at his father's coaching academy. Dhoni used him shrewdly with the new ball, often bowling him for three overs in the powerplay. Chahar also kept working on his other skills and turned himself into a capable bowler at the death, which was evident in that record-breaking spell against Bangladesh: four of his six wickets, including a hat-trick, came with a wet old ball in dewy conditions.

Chahar is also a handy lower-order batter. In an ODI in Colombo in July 2021, he steered India's chase with an unbeaten 69 from No. 8.

- Deepak Chahar made his IPL debut in 2016 for the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant and was with them for two seasons. He was picked by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of IPL 2018 and in his six seasons there he won three IPL trophies, in 2018, 2021 and 2023.

- Chahar was CSK's primary powerplay bowler for the best part of his stay with the team. When he was released by them before IPL 2025, he sat at No. 4 on their list of all-time top wicket-takers, with 76 wickets and an economy rate of 7.91.

- Chahar was the second-most expensive buy at the mega auction of 2022, with CSK buying him back for INR 14 crore. A back injury, however, ruled him out of the entire season.

- CSK released him before the 2025 mega auction after an injury-ridden 2024 season. Mumbai Indians (MI) then bought him for INR 9.25 crore. He played 14 of their 16 games for 11 wickets and was retained for 2026.