Yuzvendra Chahal opens up about alcohol addiction, his 26-day stay in rehab, divorce and anxiety, revealing how he decided to reclaim his life and cricket.
IMAGE: Yuzvendra Chahal says he feared alcohol would destroy his cricket career before seeking help. Photograph: BCCI
Key Points
- Yuzvendra Chahal sought help at a rehab centre for 26 days to overcome alcohol addiction, a decision he credits with increasing his maturity and emotional balance.
- His struggles with alcohol escalated after his divorce, impacting his mental state and cricket performance.
- Chahal experienced anxiety and panic attacks, which manifested physically, affecting his ability to speak.
Yuzvendra Chahal, the highest wicket-taker in the Indian Premier League, made a huge revelation about battling alcohol addiction.
In a freewheeling chat with former India opener Aakash Chopra on a podcast, Chahal opened up about alcohol addiction, divorce and public scrutiny that followed.
‘Yuzi, you are the guy who has made everyone laugh. You are like a livewire on the field, but when you were going through problems in your personal life, was there anybody with you? This is the lowest of the low. The emotional scars when a crisis happens in personal life are different, unlike anything we go through in professional life,’ Chopra asked.
‘My best friend and family were there,’ the 36-year-old legspinner replied.
Overcoming Addiction
‘So when did you decide to give up alcohol?’ Chopra then asked.
‘After last year of county cricket. It crossed all limits, so I checked into a rehab centre and stayed there for 26 days. Now, I know how to handle it.
‘That decision made a massive difference to my personal life. My maturity increased. My emotions are balanced now. Last IPL, my body felt like I was 30 years old again — doing gym work, fielding drills and training properly,’ he said.
‘But how did it start, and why?’ Chopra probed.
‘Initially, I was young. There were parties. In 2011, I played my first IPL. A B de Villiers once told me, ‘Balance is key in life.’ It sounds easy, but it is not.
‘Things got excessive after my divorce, and my mental state was not that great. I realised that if I continued down that path, I would ruin the very thing I love most — cricket.
‘So I put an end to it, and now I am in a much happier and better space,’ Chahal said.
Dealing with Public Scrutiny
IMAGE: Yuzvendra Chahal and influencer Dhanashree married in December 2020 before their divorce in March 2025. Photograph: Kind courtesy Yuzvendra Chahal/Instagram
When asked about his personal life getting played out in public and how he reacted to it, Chahal said: ‘When you are a public figure, everything happening in your life becomes an invitation for people to comment.
‘I felt bad, and there were a lot of difficulties. It affected my cricket as well. I played two white-ball matches that year and then didn’t play T20s because my mindset wasn’t right. I wasn’t at 100%, and I didn’t want the team to suffer because of me,’ he said.
‘I spoke to Anirudh sir (Chaudhry, former BCCI treasurer) and requested a break, and he was very supportive. Eventually, I thought, ‘How long will I carry this weight?’ Anxiety and panic attacks started happening in my life.’
‘Anxiety is like, the heartbeat increases. For me, my face would shrink during a panic attack. I couldn’t even speak; my lip would tighten and pull to one side, so people could figure out that something was wrong with me.
‘That was the first time I realised how intense anxiety could be. Then I realised social media would say a lot of things. Let’s focus on the IPL,’ he said.
Finding Focus
‘When it slowly subsided, I decided to let it go. Social media will keep talking; you can’t shut everyone up. So I decided to start afresh.
‘In my first year with Punjab Kings, when they paid Rs 18 crore for me, I felt, ‘They trusted me with so much money; I can’t let them down.’ In the KKR match, while defending 111, I realised I had to step up,’ Chahal added.
In the IPL 2025, Chahal picked 16 wickets while in 2026 he had 12 scalps. Chahal is the highest wicket taker in the IPL with 233 scalps in 188 matches. He retired from first-class cricket, playing his final English county championship match for Northamptonshire against Middlesex at Lord’s last month.
