Digwesh Rathi Statues to Sunil Narin. So, his strong start in IPL 2025 – Nine wickets in the economy of 7.43 – should not come as a surprise.
Rathi bowls quickly Gogali and leg-spin, hide his grip till the last moment-almost Narine-like. Their fast, straight hand action makes them difficult for batsmen to read by hand. Result? Dip, deception through speed and length.
He has already been added to the growing club of IPL mystery spinners-Ninen, Ajantha Mendis and a group led by Varun Chakarwarthi.
Four ‘mystery’ bowlers have maintained a bowling economy less than eight in the IPL.
Four ‘mystery’ bowlers have maintained a bowling economy less than eight in the IPL.
Carrom Ball Catalyst
Mendis pioneered ‘mystery spin’ in international cricket-and IPL-When he demolished the batting line-up with his carrom ball in 2008, a carrom flew like a striker on the board. It can be away or away from the right hands.
That much weapon inspired Narin to develop a list of his own performances. By the time Narin started in the IPL in 2012, she was until she was uplifted – claiming 24 wickets in the surprising economy of 5.47. Their bags of tricks included carrom balls, nakal balls, dosra, off-brac and arm balls.
Digvesh Rathi hides his grip till the last moment – a lot like his idol Sunil Narin. , Photo Credit: KVS Giri/ Hindu
Digvesh Rathi hides his grip till the last moment – a lot like his idol Sunil Narin. , Photo Credit: KVS Giri/ Hindu
India spin legend Harbhajan Singh said it easily: “They are finger spinners who bowl with the wrist – such as mine or (Ravindra) Jadeja – but they do not spin the ball as much. Their hands work like playing carrom; it is a secret – action.”
Unlike traditional spinners that use flight and turns, the secret spinners work differently. Traditional spin uses an honest seam with revolutions.
The mystery spin comes with a fried seam, which hides the behavior of the ball for a long time.
Flattering, fast, complicated
While Sunil Narin depends behind the delivery of length, Yuzvendra Chahal more often uses the entire length.
While Sunil Narin depends behind the delivery of length, Yuzvendra Chahal more often uses the entire length.
Both Narin and Chakarwardi come from tennis-ball cricket, where bowlers use more angles from turn. The trajectory is flat. Speed, faster than traditional spin.
“He learned to hold with a tennis ball.
Their balls do not turn much. Data shows (wherever available) Narin performs more delivery that is distracted by only 1.27 degrees on average. Conversely, Yuzvendra Chahal – more traditional – cuts more twist delivery and looks at the average of 3.44 degrees.
Overse and dip: Chakarwardi switch
Chakarwarthi scored a breakout run with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2020 and 2021 – 35 wickets in less than 7 runs per over – he started T20I debut. But international success proved to be elusive.
The turnaround came when he moved from Sidespin to overspine. The change instead of relying on the turn, diverted and bounced more. That Twiks ruled his IPL form, recalled him a national, and he played an important role in India’s Champions Trophy victory earlier this year.
Varun Chakarwarthi has made a lot of changes in his sleeve.
Varun Chakarwarthi has made a lot of changes in his sleeve.
Why do they work in T20
After the poor season of 2011, Kolkata Knight Riders wanted a strike bowler who was also an affordable. It bought female in the next auction – and they distributed both.
His variations made him a wicket -taking. His speed and back-off-length bowling made him difficult to hit. He rarely bowled completely. Most delivery was either a good length or short. At about 93 km/h, the batsmen could not line it.
Chakarwardi and Rathi follow a similar template. Both keep the bowls behind a length, stumps in the game, and use a flattering trajectory for each variation.
“Length is very important,” says Harbhajan. “If you bowl to the length of the test-match, the batsmen will raise slogans without cares. But if it is a little younger-Varun or Narin Bowl-It is neither very full nor too small. The batsmen are stuck. You can’t go back and come forward, or not come forward.”
In this IPL season alone, these three spinners have been rejected 16 times trying to play on the front leg – most of the attacker while playing shots. They are safe to play on the back leg, although it gives only 6.35 runs per over. Their high speed also makes it difficult to get out.
The batsmen have found it difficult to play ‘mystery’ spin on the front leg.
The batsmen have found it difficult to play ‘mystery’ spin on the front leg.
What is the shelf life of a mystery?
At the age of high-speed cameras, detailed video footage, and data analysis, mystery spinners do not remain mysterious for a long time.
Mendis’s carrom balls were decoded. After several action -related suspensions, Narin faced a career dip. The batsmen develop rapidly, analyzing every detail to exploit even a slight cheap.
Author Julia Cameron once said, “The mystery is in the heart of creativity. She, and surprise.” Since T20 cricket continues to develop, it should also be a bowler. The moment one puzzle is solved, the other should be posted.
This can be the real secret: what’s next?
(Data up to IPL 2025 Match 33 Mile vs SRH)
