Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal spoke openly about the personal and emotional difficulties he has been navigating, in a recent appearance on a podcast hosted by former cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra.
Chahal traced the pattern back to around 2011, when the social atmosphere surrounding his early IPL years — parties and the freedoms of youth — drew him toward drinking. His first IPL appearance came during the 2011 tournament, and various social events took place during that period.
His behaviour grew notably erratic in the period that followed the breakdown of his marriage. In the period following the separation, managing day-to-day conduct grew noticeably harder while his mental health also declined. Chahal also described how the public exposure of his personal circumstances weighed on his mental wellbeing, leading him to step away from cricket, noting that anyone carrying a public profile finds their private life becomes open territory for outside opinion.
After his alcohol use reached a point he described as beyond any reasonable boundary, the leg-spin bowler spent 26 days at a treatment facility. At a point when things had gone too far, a decision was made to enter a rehabilitation facility, where a 26-day stay followed. Chahal noted that bringing the situation to a close had left him in a noticeably more settled and positive state of mind, and that the approach for managing it had since become clear.
Chahal went on to describe how the burden of that mental strain eventually prompted the question of how long he could continue carrying it, with panic episodes then becoming a recurring presence in his life. At their worst, these episodes caused his face to tighten and his lips to pull to one side, leaving speech difficult, while a racing heartbeat, he noted, was a defining feature of what anxiety felt like for him.
He recalled appearing in just two white-ball fixtures that season before stepping away from T20 cricket, attributing the withdrawal to a mental state that was not where it needed to be. He told Anirudh sir that his physical condition was not at full capacity and that he did not want the team to be affected by that, so he asked for a break — a request that received a supportive response.
When asked by Chopra whether personal setbacks leave a deeper imprint than professional ones, Chahal said his inner circle — friends and family — had remained a constant source of support throughout. Pressed further on the timing of his choice to give up alcohol, he traced the turning point back to the end of his most recent county cricket campaign.
Reaching out for support brought measurable changes to how he related to others, managed his inner life, and carried himself through the world, Chahal said. The choice also proved to have a considerable bearing on how life unfolded on a personal level.
During the most recent IPL season, Chahal pointed out, his body had recovered its vitality to a degree that let him push through training sessions, gym work, and fielding drills at full intensity. He recalled that during the previous IPL season, his body felt as though he had regained the physical condition of a 30-year-old, with gym sessions, fielding drills, and structured training all part of his routine. Chopra pressed him on how and why that transformation had come about, to which Chahal replied that it had begun when he was still young.
During one of the more demanding stretches of his life, the 36-year-old noted that both his family and a close friend had stood by him throughout — with that friend drawing particular recognition for the warmth and laughter he brought to those around him. He told reporters that the IPL was his priority, adding that once the situation gradually settled down, he made the choice to move on.
Chahal noted that the Rs 18 crore Punjab Kings contract during his debut season with the franchise carried a weight of responsibility that pushed him to perform, and that same drive surfaced during the KKR fixture — where defending a total of 111 runs left him with no choice but to raise his own contribution.
Chahal's participation in first-class cricket drew to a close during the opening weeks of this month. In a statement pointing to unfinished business, he made clear that domestic List A and T20 cricket remained his chosen path back toward selection for India's ODI and T20I sides.
