Tamil Nadu Cricket Association’s (TNCA) surprise move involving India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has sparked massive discussion on social media. The move has sparked speculation that the Indian T20 team and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are all set to bring in a new face at the leadership.
Currently, it is unlikely that Kolkata Knight Riders will retain Ajinkya Rahane as captain for IPL 2026 after a poor campaign earlier this year. Since there are not many Indian options available for captaincy, KKR may surprise the fans with a big announcement.
Varun Chakravarthy has emerged as a surprisingly strong contender for KKR captaincy
Earlier, the Kolkata franchise had tried to bring KL Rahul on board, but Delhi Capitals rejected the offers made by the franchise, and now Sanju Samson is almost confirmed to be traded from Rajasthan Royals to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the IPL 2026 player retention.
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Both Rahul and Samson are wicketkeeper-batsmen, and they are proven captains in the IPL. Since both deals are currently closed, KKR may be forced to look at the current team to hand over the captaincy for the next season, and Chakravarthy could be the option.
The star spinner has been a part of the franchise since 2020, and he already has experience from 84 IPL games, taking 100 wickets at an average of 23.85 and an economy rate of 7.57. After Tamil Nadu’s shocking move, Varun is now seen as the frontrunner to become the new captain of KKR.
TNCA has appointed Varun Chakraborty as the captain for SMAT 2025 and preparations are underway for the Indian captaincy.
On Thursday, November 13, the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) announced the 16-member squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025, starting on November 26, and Varun Chakravarthy was announced as their captain, while N. Jagadeesan will be his deputy.
While Shah Rukh Khan and R Sai Kishore have been named in the Tamil Nadu squad for the premier T20 tournament, it was quite surprising that Sai Sudarshan did not find a place in the squad. Sai was even left out of India’s XI for the ongoing Kolkata Test against South Africa.
Chakraborty has stepped into the role of captain for the first time in his professional career. The move comes at a crucial time, as the Men in Blue prepare for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
He is already one of India’s most dependable bowlers, and now he has got a priceless opportunity to develop as a leader while guiding his state team in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025.
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Varun Chakravarthy will not play in SMAT Knockout for India duty
Following his captaincy debut, the star spinner will soon rejoin the national team for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa starting on December 6. With India scheduled to play ten T20Is ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, the mystery spinner is in for a demanding but rewarding stretch.
The announcement sparked buzz that Kolkata Knight Riders is looking to make a bold move with Varun Chakravarthy, just like RCB once did with Rajat Patidar after IPL 2024. KKR seems ready to give captaincy to Varun before IPL 2026.
What did RCB do with Patidar after IPL 2024 – What did KKR do with Varun!!!
If you have it then show it first (Captaincy Skills)
KKR (C) Loading– Rohit Juglan (@rohitjuglan) 13 November 2025
Captaincy debut for Varun C?
KKR fans, captain Varun is loading up? pic.twitter.com/UOQji8U4Va– Sahil Malhotra (@Sahil_Malhotra1) 13 November 2025
However, Varun will miss the final stage of SMAT 2025, which runs till December 18, as he will join the Indian team for the T20I series against South Africa starting from December 6.
Tamil Nadu Team SMAT 2025:
Varun Chakravarthy (C), Narayan Jagadeesan (VC/WK), Tushar Raheja (WK), S Hrithik Easwaran (WK), VP Amit Satwik, M Shahrukh Khan, Andre Siddharth, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Shivam Singh, R Sai Kishore, M Siddharth, T Natarajan, Gurjapaneet Singh, A Esakkimuthu, R Sonu Yadav, R Silambarasan.
