Yuzvendra Chahal Opens Up About Quitting Alcohol and Mental Health Struggles

Yuzvendra Chahal (BCCI/IL Photo)

NEW DELHI: Punjab Kings star spinner Yuzvendra Chahal recently opened up about life after quitting alcohol. The leg-spinner spoke to India women’s cricketer Harleen Deol on an episode of the Kandid with Kings podcast, released on the official Punjab Kings YouTube channel. In the candid chat, Chahal discussed stepping away from alcohol, his past struggles with depression, and also shared lighter cricket anecdotes.

Harleen began the conversation by asking, “You quit drinking, hai na?”

“I think it’s the best decision of my life. Usko apni life se hatane ke baad main keh raha hoon meri life totally change ho gayi hai. Now I spend more time with my family and friends. Life mein kya chal raha hai, mujhe ab aur clearly pata hai - kaun mere saath hai aur kaun nahi hai. Pehle main in sab cheezon ke baare mein overthink karta tha, but ab main apne upar focus karta hoon. Main golf khelta hoon, go-karting karta hoon [It’s the best decision of my life. After removing it from my life, I can say my life has completely changed. Now I spend more time with my family and friends. I understand much better what is happening in my life, who is with me, and who isn’t. Earlier, I used to overthink all these things, but now I focus on myself. I play golf, and I go karting],” Chahal said.

“Toh mujhe ab realise hua ki maine life mein kya miss kiya. Jab mujhe alcohol ke baare mein samajh aaya ki it’s not good for me, tab maine decide kiya. Wo hota hai na ki jab aap limit se bahar chale jaate ho, main bhi us stage par chala gaya tha. Us time main depression mein tha, mental health bhi theek nahi thi. Toh maine khud hi decide kiya [I realised what I was missing in life, and once I understood that alcohol is not good for me, I made the decision. There comes a point when you go beyond your limits, and I had reached that stage. At that time, I was dealing with depression, and my mental health wasn’t good. So I decided on my own],” he said.

"Main UK mein tha county cricket ke liye, tabhi maine socha ki nahi, mujhe wapas jaana hai aur is cheez ko theek karna hai. Ab more than six months ho gaye hain aur main bahut happy aur grateful feel karta hoon [I was in the UK for county cricket, and there I decided that I had to go back and fix things. It has been more than six months now, and I am feeling very happy and grateful],” the spinner said.

Chahal, who is currently playing for Punjab Kings, has taken 10 wickets in 13 matches so far. He was bought by Punjab Kings for a whopping ?18 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Before joining Punjab Kings, the leg-spinner has represented Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Mumbai Indians. Overall, he has played 187 IPL matches and picked up 231 wickets, including one five-wicket haul.