He conceded just 6.46 runs per over and finished as the second-highest wicket-taker with 14 from ten games, even after the knockout games spoiled his figures. Until then, his economy was a scarcely believable 5.65 as batters kept succumbing to his googly.
Chadha, though, took his bowling seriously only four years ago.
“I was in class four or five when I started playing cricket,” Chadha, now 22, tells Cricinfo. “My father had played cricket at university level and was a coach at the Burlton Park [in Jalandhar]. He would take me along two to three times a week. I would train under SP Krishnan sir, who was also Suresh Raina’s childhood coach. He taught me a lot about batting.”
His mother, however, was firmly opposed. “Since I was also good at studies, she wanted me to become an IAS or IPS officer. ‘There’s nothing to be gained from cricket,’ she would say. Even my dad would seek her permission to take me for coaching.”
“Last year, my bowling got a bit wayward, and I was not able to understand where I was going wrong. Rahul paaji then advised me to slow down the run-up. When I did that, my accuracy increased immensely”
Former India legspinner has been helping Kartik Chadha
The real turning point came in 2022, when he switched to legspin. “It happened very naturally,” he says. “I used to bowl in the nets – sometimes offspin, sometimes legspin. And I realised batters were struggling against my legspin. So I started bowling in inter-district matches and got quite a few wickets. After that, I shifted focus to my bowling.”
He developed the googly through a similar process. “I would experiment a lot in the nets. When I watched my videos, I noticed my action for legspin and googly was the same. That got me excited. I knew it would create a problem for batters.”
There have been setbacks, too. In 2024, he broke his right ankle while playing football during warm-ups ahead of a game. During the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Cup, he fractured a finger on his left hand but continued playing. Earlier this year, he tore the ligament in the same right ankle while fielding in the Uttarakhand Gold Cup. Each time, he has bounced right back.
“Last year, my bowling got a bit wayward, and I was not able to understand where I was going wrong,” Chadha says. “Rahul paaji then advised me to slow down the run-up. When I did that, my accuracy increased immensely.”
That accuracy defined his bowling in the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League and helped his side reach the final. Seven of his 14 wickets were either bowled or lbw as he stuck to his plan of bowling at the stumps. Equally impressive was his ability to sense when to defend and when to attack.
The match against Fazilka Falcons illustrated this perfectly as he took 4 for 9 from four overs. “Our plan was not to give away too many runs, so I was bowling defensively,” he says. “Shubman [Gill] paaji then tried a big shot and was caught behind. I realised I could attack after that and in the very next over, I picked up two more wickets.”
Asked which of his 14 wickets he enjoyed the most, Chadha says, “Actually, there are three. The first is obviously Shubman paaji‘s – it was a dream wicket. Then in our last league match, I dismissed Naman [Dhir] paaji and a couple of games before, Prabhsimran [Singh] paaji [both lbw off googlies].”
But the most emotional wicket was his first of the tournament. After bowling Bathinda Royals’ Gourav Choudhary, Chadha pulled a note from his pocket. It read: “Tauji, this is for you. I miss you.”
Ahead of IPL 2026, Chadha had trialled with RCB, CSK, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings but went unsold at the auction. He is yet to make his debut for Punjab’s senior team. Until last season, he ranked behind Harpreet Brar, Mayank Markande, Raghu Sharma, Emanjot Singh Chahal, Harjas Singh, Prerit Dutta and Choudhary, most of whom can also contribute with the bat. That hierarchy could change this season, and scouts say he should get his first IPL contract come December.
Though currently focused on white-ball cricket, Chadha has been effective with the red ball as well. At the recent Under-23 inter-district tournament, he was the third-highest wicket-taker with 36 wickets at an average of 15.08.
“I play red-ball games too with the same intention that I have to play the Ranji Trophy. I want to show I can do well in every format.”
Last year, he completed his graduation business administration. What does his mother have to say about that?
“Nothing,” Chadha says with a laugh. “She is now more eager than my dad that I play at higher levels.”
Hemant Brar is a sub-editor at Cricinfo