‘It crossed all limits’: India spinner Yuzvendra Chahal opens up on post-divorce alcohol addiction

New Delhi: Team India spinner has revealed his struggle with alcohol after his divorce, saying that he sought professional help after realising that his drinking habit had gone too far and he needed to make a change. Chahal, who is the leading wicket-taker in history, talked about his struggles in a podcast with former India batter Aakash Chopra.

“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,” Chahal said.

Chopra asked Chahal how he began consuming alcohol, and the spinner revealed that he started drinking at a young age while attending parties. He also recalled advice from former South African batter AB de Villiers.

“Initially, I was young. There were parties. In 2011, I played my first IPL. AB 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,” he added.

“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.

Yuzvendra Chahal’s career

Chahal is the highest wicket-taker in the IPL, taking 233 wickets in 188 matches. He has also played 72 ODI matches for India and picked up 121 wickets. The spinner has also taken 96 wickets in 80 T20I matches, but has announced his retirement from first-class cricket on October 2, 2026. Chahal picked up 16 wickets in IPL 2025 and finished the 2026 season with 12 wickets.