Deepak Chahar IPL Profile

Born on August 7 1992 in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, Deepak Chahar is an Indian fast bowler who represents Rajasthan in domestic cricket and Chennai Super Kings in Indian Premier League. He is a classical swing bowler and his ability to swing the ball in both directions make him an ideal bowler to lead the line. Chahar can also come in handy in lower-order batting having the potential to hit some big shots.

Greg Chappell, the then director of Rajasthan Cricket Association Academy, turned down the potential medium-pacer at the age of 16 in 2008. The gutsy fast bowler didn't lose hope and kept knocking on the state team's doors until he finally gained entry during the 2010–11 Ranji season.

He made a name for himself by restricting Hyderabad to 21 in his maiden game for Rajasthan with eight wickets, the lowest-ever score in Indian domestic cricket. He helped his team win the first Ranji Trophy that year by taking 21 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 37.66.

On the back of his outstanding performances in the domestic circuit, he was bought by Rising Pune Supergiants (now defunct) in 2016. He was roped in by CSK in 2018. He immediately became a part of the first team setup. MS Dhoni handed him the duty to open the bowling and he fully utilized the opportunity. 

He picked up 10 wickets in 12 games in IPL 2019. The next year proved to be his breakthrough season where picked up 22 wickets at an average of 21.90 and a tight economy rate of 7.47. Since then he has been a reliable soldier for skipper MS Dhoni. Ahead of the 2022 IPL, CSK purchased him for a whopping sum of Rs 14 crore although he missed the tournament with an injury.

Although injury has plagued his development, the young pacer has kept on going and made progress bit by bit over the years in domestic circuits and Indian Premier League. When the international call came in 2018, his diligence paid off. On July 8, 2018, he played against England in his first T20I match. After that, Deepak was chosen for the T20I team for the 2019 West Indies trip. 

In the T20I deciding match at Nagpur during India's 2019 tour of Bangladesh, Chahar displayed excellent form and became the first Indian male bowler to capture a hat-trick in the T20I format. With six wickets for seven runs from 3.2 overs, he set new records for bowling in a men's T20I. On September 25, 2018, he played his first One Day International (ODI) for India against Afghanistan at the 2018 Asia Cup.

Chahar is married to Jaya Bharadwaj whom he adorably proposed in the Dubai stadium at the end of an IPL match between CSK and PBKS. His sister Malti Chahar is an Indian actress and model.