Punjab T20 League: For Kartik Chadha, the spin sensation from Jalandhar, the opportunity to spend time with Chennai Super Kings during IPL 2025 was surreal from the moment he received the call. But it was an intra-squad game at Chepauk, and a dismissal of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, that gave the young leg-spinner perhaps his biggest confidence boost.
Kartik, who worked with CSK as a net bowler, said that simply getting the opportunity to join the franchise was difficult to comprehend.
“Yes, it was a very unreal moment when I got the call that we have seen you, and you should come and join us at CSK. So it was very unreal at first. When I went there… obviously Dhoni bhai is such a big name. So it was a big deal to share the dressing room with him. It was a big deal for me,” Kartik told IANS in an exclusive interaction on Thursday.
The experience went beyond merely being around established stars. Kartik, who is currently a part of Ludhiana Lions in the Sher-e-Punjab league, had the opportunity to bowl in intra-squad matches, and his performances in those games gradually changed how he viewed himself.
“Then, when I practised with him. Played matches. There were intra-squad matches. I bowled very well there, and that’s when I started believing that I belong there. My confidence only boosted thereafter; I thought, yes, I can do it.”
One particular intra-squad game remains especially memorable. Kartik claimed four wickets, with Dhoni among his victims.
“I remember we had an intra-squad match, and I took four wickets. I also bowled out Dhoni bhai. It was like a normal practice game. Like a match simulation type, but I managed to bowl out Dhoni bhai there.”
The significance of the dismissal was not lost on Kartik, even though he was quick to point out that he was also being hit during the contest.
“I was getting hit equally, but the joy of bowling Dhoni bhai out was different.”
The CSK experience became an important part of Kartik’s development, particularly because it allowed him to test his leg-spin against high-level batters in a competitive environment. His hard work was evident when he dismissed India’s ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill during one of the encounters at the ongoing league in Punjab.
But the path to that opportunity had not been straightforward. Injuries had repeatedly interrupted his progress, including a fractured finger during last year's Maharaja Ranjit Cup and an ankle injury shortly before the Sher-E-Punjab League.
“I had been facing a lot of issues with my fitness for a very long time because there was always some injury or the other. Last year, during the Maharaja Ranjit Cup, I fractured my finger, so it was a very tough time. And 2-3 months ago, my ankle got fractured. I got a ligament tear. I thought that even after doing so well, I was getting injured… my ankle got fractured before Sher-E-Punjab and after our districts.”
The timing of the latest injury made it particularly difficult to accept. “So it was a very disturbing moment. There was a very good flow this time, but I got injured. So I was down for 1-1.5 months.”
“I had been facing a lot of issues with my fitness for a very long time because there was always some injury or the other. Last year, during the Maharaja Ranjit Cup, I fractured my finger, so it was a very tough time. And 2-3 months ago, my ankle got fractured. I got a ligament tear. I thought that even after doing so well, I was getting injured… my ankle got fractured before Sher-E-Punjab and after our districts.”
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“But then I did my best to recover from the ankle injury. After that, I had faith in myself that I could do it. But at that time, I felt this was not possible. But then when I came back, I played matches and practised. So that momentum started again. Then I came to Sher-e-Punjab. So I have been backing myself since then.”