Following India’s T20 World Cup 2026 win, Varun Chakravarthy and Washington Sundar undertook a spiritual journey to Tiruvannamalai, completing a 14 km Girivalam around Arunachala Hill to seek Lord Shiva’s blessings. The duo will now join their IPL teams, Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Titans, ahead of the new season.
Team India cricketers Varun Chakravarthy and Washington Sundar, who were part of the Men in Blue’s T20 World Cup 2026 triumph, took a spiritual journey to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva at Arunachala Hill in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, on Wednesday evening, March 11.
Team India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, successfully defended the T20 World Cup crown with a dominant 96-run win over New Zealand in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8. Following a victory, players returned to their homes, and Varun Chakravarthy and Washington Sundar fulfilled a personal vow by completing a 14 km Girivalam around Arunachala Hill, seeking divine blessings.
Chakravarthy and Sundar hail from Tamil Nadu and chose to perform the Girivalam as part of a personal vow they had made before the Men in Blue’s T20 World Cup glory in Ahmedabad.
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Chakravarthy, Sundar’s 14 KM Girivalam
The Tamil Nadu cricketers Varun Chakravarthy and Washington Sundar traveled to Tiruvannamalai for a spiritual journey they wished to fulfill as a personal vow, completing the 14 km Girivalam (spiritual circumambulation) around Arunachala Hill to seek divine blessings after India’s T20 World Cup glory.
In a video that went viral on social media, Varun and Washington can be seen walking on the path around Arunachala Hill, along with devotees, as they completed 14 kilometers of spiritual circumambulation. They completed the spiritual journey in the evening and reached the Arunachaleswarar Temple to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva.
The 14 km Girivalam covers Arunachala Hill, a sacred Shiva site, completing the spiritual encompassing.
Arunachaleswarar Temple is a famous pilgrimage site in Tiruvannamalai, renowned for its Dravidian architecture and spiritual significance in Shaivism. The lakhs of devotees offer their prayers and seek the blessings of Lord Shiva, especially during Girivalam, making it a vibrant hub of faith and devotion.
What Next for Varun Chakravarthy and Washington Sundar?
Varun Chakravarthy was among the standout bowlers of the T20 World Cup 2026, emerging as the joint-highest wicket-taker with 14 wickets at an average of 20.50 and an economy rate of 9.25 in nine matches.
However, Chakravarthy’s campaign was divided into halves, a strong group stage where he picked up nine wickets at an impressive economy, followed by a relatively quieter Super 8 and knockout phase before finishing as a joint‑highest wicket‑taker. Washington Sundar, on the other hand, played only two matches against the Netherlands in the group stage and South Africa in the Super 8s.
After India’s T20 World Cup triumph and spiritual journey, Varun Chakravarthy and Washington Sundar will join their respective IPL teams ahead of the upcoming season of the tournament. Chakravarthy will join the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) after he was retained for INR 12 crore, while Sundar was retained by the Gujarat Titans for INR 3.2 crore for IPL 2026.
Varun Chakravarthy and Washington Sundar are expected to join the training camps of their respective IPL franchises soon, gearing up for the 2026 season while carrying forward the confidence and momentum gained from India’s T20 World Cup triumph and their spiritual Girivalam journey.
