Digvesh Rathi idolises Sunil Narine. So, his strong start in IPL 2025 — nine wickets at an economy of 7.43 — shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Rathi bowls quick googlies and leg-spin, hiding his grip till the final moment — almost Narine-like. His fast, straight-arm action makes it tough for batters to read him off the hand. The result? Deception through dip, speed, and length.
He’s already been added to the ever-growing club of IPL mystery spinners — a group led by Narine, Ajantha Mendis, and Varun Chakaravarthy .
The four ‘mystery’ bowlers have maintained a bowling economy under eight in the IPL.
The four ‘mystery’ bowlers have maintained a bowling economy under eight in the IPL.
The Carrom Ball Catalyst
Mendis pioneered the ‘mystery spin’ in limited-overs cricket — and the IPL — when he dismantled batting line-ups in 2008 with his carrom ball, flicked like a striker on a carrom board. It could skid on or turn away from right-handers.
That very weapon inspired Narine to develop his own repertoire. By the time Narine debuted in the IPL in 2012, he was unreadable — claiming 24 wickets at an astonishing economy of 5.47. His bag of tricks included the carrom ball, knuckle ball, doosra, off-break, and arm ball.
Digvesh Rathi hides his grip till the final moment – much like his idol Sunil Narine.
| Photo Credit:
KVS GIRI/ The Hindu
Digvesh Rathi hides his grip till the final moment – much like his idol Sunil Narine.
| Photo Credit:
KVS GIRI/ The Hindu
India spin legend Harbhajan Singh puts it simply: “They’re finger spinners who bowl with the wrist — like me or (Ravindra) Jadeja — but they don’t spin the ball as much. Their hands work like playing carrom; that’s the mystery — the action.”
Unlike conventional spinners who use flight and turn, mystery spinners operate differently. Traditional spin uses an upright seam with revolutions.
Mystery spin comes with a scrambled seam, hiding the ball’s behaviour till late.
Flatter, Faster, Trickier
While Sunil Narine relies on back of the length deliveries, Yuzvendra Chahal uses full length more often.
While Sunil Narine relies on back of the length deliveries, Yuzvendra Chahal uses full length more often.
Narine and Chakaravarthy both come from tennis-ball cricket, where bowlers use angles more than turn. The trajectory is flat. The speed, quicker than traditional spin.
“They learned that grip with the tennis ball. Now they’re using it with the leather ball — and it’s working. Batters just aren’t used to that kind of wrist work,” Harbhajan explains.
Their balls don’t turn much. Data shows (wherever available) Narine bowls more deliveries that deviate just 1.27 degrees on average. In contrast, Yuzvendra Chahal — more conventional — bowls more turning deliveries and sees deviations of 3.44 degrees on average.
Overspin and Dip: The Chakaravarthy Switch
Chakaravarthy had a breakout run with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2020 and 2021 — 35 wickets at under 7 runs per over — earning him a T20I debut. But international success proved elusive.
The turnaround came when he shifted from sidespin to overspin. The change gave him more dip and bounce instead of relying on turn. That tweak reignited his IPL form, earned him a national recall, and saw him play a key role in India’s Champions Trophy win earlier this year.
Varun Chakaravarthy has plenty of variations up his sleeve.
Varun Chakaravarthy has plenty of variations up his sleeve.
Why They Work in T20s
After a poor 2011 season, Kolkata Knight Riders wanted a strike bowler who was also economical. It bought Narine in the next auction — and he delivered both.
His variations made him a wicket-taker. His speed and back-of-length bowling made him hard to hit. He rarely bowled full. Most deliveries were either a good length or shorter. At nearly 93 km/h, batters couldn’t line him up.
Chakaravarthy and Rathi follow a similar template. Both bowl back of a length, keep the stumps in play, and use a flatter trajectory for each variation.
“Length is very important,” says Harbhajan. “If you bowl Test-match lengths, batters will slog without caring where it’s turning. But if it’s slightly shorter — like Varun or Narine bowl — it’s neither too full nor too short. Batters get stuck. You can’t go back and pull, or come forward and slog.”
In this IPL season alone, batters trying to play these three spinners on the front foot have been dismissed 16 times — mostly while playing attacking shots. Playing them on the back foot is safer, though it only yields 6.35 runs per over. Their quicker pace also makes it harder to step out.
Batters have found it tough to play the ‘mystery’ spin on the front foot.
Batters have found it tough to play the ‘mystery’ spin on the front foot.
What’s the Shelf Life of a Mystery?
In the age of high-speed cameras, detailed video footage, and data analysis, mystery spinners don’t stay mysterious for long.
Mendis’ carrom balls were decoded. Narine faced a career dip after multiple action-related suspensions. Batters evolve fast, analysing every detail to exploit even a minor giveaway.
Author Julia Cameron once said, “Mystery is at the heart of creativity. That, and surprise.” As T20 cricket continues to evolve, so too must its bowlers. The moment one puzzle is solved, another needs to be posed.
That might be the real mystery: what’s next?
(Data till IPL 2025 match 33 MI vs SRH)
