"I was immediately admitted to the hospital"- Tilak Varma opens up about his life-threatening disease ahead of Australia T20Is

Tilak Varma revealed that he was diagnosed with a disease called Rhabdomyolysis, which is related to muscle breakdown.

Indian batter Tilak Varma has made a shocking revelation about his battle with a life-threatening disease a few years ago. The left-handed batter said that he was diagnosed with a Rhabdomyolysis disease after his first season in Indian Premier League (IPL), adding that he used to get muscle breakdown.

Tilak Varma has cemented his place in the Indian T20 team and is arguably one of the best young players going in world cricket currently. Having made his international debut in August 2023, Varma has already played some of the match-winning knocks for India with recent one coming against Pakistan in Asia Cup 2025 final at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.

During the encounter, the Men in Blue lost three early wickets while chasing a 147-run target. However, Varma took the onus to himself and hammered an unbeaten 69 runs to take the team home by five wickets and won the Player of the Match award.

Notably, Varma earned a spot in Indian Cricket Team after his heroics in the IPL, when he made his debut for Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2022. With his consistent show in the first two seasons, he earned his maiden call-up to the T20I side in 2023 and has held his spot with his consistent batting performances.

Tilak Varma reveals his battle with a life-threatening disease

While speaking on the YouTube show ‘Breakfast with Champions’, the youngster revealed that he faced severe health issues after his first IPL season, as he was diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis. He also disclosed that he hampered his muscles with excessive workouts and not giving proper rest to his body.

“I haven’t opened up about this to anyone. After my first IPL, I had some health problems. I wanted to be fit. These things have not come out. I was diagnosed with something called Rhabdomyolysis, in which muscle breakdowns happen. I had in me that I wanted to be in the Test team, was playing domestic cricket, A series, a camp was going on,” he said.

“Even on rest days, I was in the gym. I wanted to be the fittest player in the world and an excellent fielder, so I wasn’t quite focusing on recovery. I was taking ice baths, but I was not giving my body the proper time to recover. I was pushing myself even on rest days. So, the muscle was overstrained and it broke down. The nerves became quite hard,” he added.

During the show, Varma also revealed he suffered a severe muscle breakdown on the field while playing for India A against Bangladesh A and was immediately rushed to the hospital for treatment. He also thanked MI owner Akash Ambani and former BCCI secretary Jay Shah for their support during his treatment.

“Mumbai Indians were there with me, and I was playing the A series in Bangladesh. I pushed myself for a hundred, and my eyes started tearing up. My fingers weren’t at all moving. Everything became so hard, it felt like a stone. I had to retire hurt, gloves had to be cut off because fingers weren’t moving,” said Tilak.

“Immediately, I got a call from Akash Ambani. He spoke to the BCCI, which was very helpful. Thanks to Jay Shah, sir. I was immediately admitted to the hospital. The doctors told me that if I had delayed by even a few hours, the consequences could have been catastrophic. Even the IV line needle wasn’t going in. The needle was breaking. My condition was very bad in the hospital. My mother was with me,” he further added.

Meanwhile, Varma is pulling his socks up for the upcoming T20I series against Australia later this month. The Suryakumar Yadav & Co. will play five T20I games against the Men in Yellow from October 29 to November 8. Following his success in Asia Cup 2025 last month, Varma will be looking forward to another brilliant show during the series.

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