Terrified Chahal reveals 'heavily drunk' Australian cricketer dangled him off 15th-floor balcony in 2013

Chahal breaks his silence on a 13-year-old IPL horror story

Veteran India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has revisited one of the more chilling off-field episodes of his early career, confirming for the first time details of an incident in which a heavily intoxicated Australian cricketer lifted him into the air and dangled him upside down over a high-rise hotel balcony during the 2013 Indian Premier League season.

The 36-year-old, who is the IPL's all-time leading wicket-taker with 233 scalps in 188 matches, first disclosed the episode in 2022, saying an inebriated cricketer had hung him over a balcony on the 15th floor. Speculation at the time linked the episode to former Australia all-rounder Andrew Symonds, but speaking on former India opener Aakash Chopra's podcast, Chahal firmly ruled that out — and also cleared James Franklin.

'Neither Symonds nor Franklin, rather some other guy'

Chahal recalled that the incident unfolded at a Royal Challengers Bengaluru-hosted party in Bengaluru, which he attended while still playing for Mumbai Indians in 2013. Reconstructing the moment, he said:

"There was a party in Bengaluru hosted by RCB. I was playing for MI at the time. I also went there and saw a guy who was heavily drunk. He was well-built and very strong. He was from Australia, but he was neither Symonds nor Franklin, rather some other guy. He called me over and then lifted me into the air. At first, I thought he was joking, but then he hung me over the balcony, and I was just holding on to his neck."

The leg-spinner said the situation turned genuinely frightening as the other cricketer continued to laugh while those in the room looked on in shock. He was eventually hauled back to safety after others intervened.

"I was terrified. He was heavily drunk, and everyone in the room was stunned. Suddenly, everyone intervened and pulled me back up. That guy was laughing, but for me, it felt like a second birth. I think it was on the 15th or 16th floor of the hotel."

Youth and inexperience kept him from complaining

Chahal acknowledged that, as a young and inexperienced player then, he did not know how to file a formal complaint about what had happened. He eventually chose to put the episode behind him and concentrate on his cricket.

From near-tragedy to IPL great — but an India recall remains elusive

The leg-spinner has since forged a remarkable T20 career. He began with Mumbai Indians in 2013 before an eight-season stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and he currently turns out for Punjab Kings. During the 2026 IPL season, he featured in 14 matches and took 12 wickets.

His international career, however, has stalled. Chahal's last appearance for India came in a T20I against the West Indies in 2023. He has since retired from first-class cricket — announcing that decision on 2026-10-02 while insisting the door remains open for a return to the national white-ball side — but the bowler continues to harbour hopes of earning his way back into India's ODI and T20I teams.