Yuzvendra Chahal: Decoding his top five career IPL spells
Yuzvendra Chahal has added an illustrious feather to his hat as on Thursday (May 11), he became the highest wicket-taker in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He went past Dwayne Bravo (183) with a four-fer (4/25) against Kolkata Knight Riders. His brilliance powered Rajasthan Royals to a nine-wicket win. Here we revisit five of his best spells in IPL.
A look at his IPL career
Chahal was tied with Bravo heading into the KKR contest. The veteran leg-spinner has now raced to 187 wickets in 143 IPL appearances. While this was his sixth four-wicket haul in the IPL, his only fifer (5/40) came against KKR in 2022. Chahal's IPL economy rate is 7.65. He is the leading wicket-taker in the ongoing season with 21 wickets in 12 (ER: 7.91).
Hat-trick versus KKR
Defending 217 versus KKR last year, RR were under the pump as Shreyas Iyer (85) was on a roll. However, Chahal claimed a hat-trick in the 17th over and virtually sealed the game for the Men in Pink. The leggie scalped two more wickets in the contest and finished with 5/40. The Royals clinched the contest by seven runs.
Four-fer versus Lucknow Super Giants
Another Yuzvendra Chahal special in IPL 2022 came versus Lucknow Super Giants. Chasing 166, LSG were 74/4 as the game was hung in balance. Chahal then claimed the important wickets of Ayush Badoni, Quinton de Kock, and Krunal Pandya, derailing LSG's chase significantly. He finished with 4/41 in four overs as the Royals narrowly won the contest by three runs.
Breathtaking performance versus Kings XI Punjab
Before switching to RR, Chahal spent eight seasons with Royal Challengers Bangalore and bowled several spectacular spells. In 2016, he ran through Kings XI Punjab's (now Punjab Kings) line-up on a track where Virat Kohli scored a 50-ball 113. The leg-spinner returned with 4/25 in three overs as RCB claimed an 82-run triumph in the rain-curtailed game.
4/38 against Mumbai Indians
Chahal put up an impressive show against a formidable Mumbai Indians line-up in the 2019 season. While most of the RCB batters were taken to the cleaners, the leggie was among the wickets. He claimed 4/38 in four overs as the five-time champions posted 187/8 in their allotted 20 overs. Unfortunately for Chahal, RCB lost the contest by six runs.
4/17 versus Sunrisers Hyderabad
Chahal was at his best in RR's opener of the ongoing season against Sunrisers Hyderabad. RR posted 203/5 while batting first at the Hyderabad track seemed a belter for batters. However, SRH batters could not do much against Chahal's mysterious deliveries. The star leg-spinner returned with 4/17 in four overs as the Men in Pink claimed a 72-run triumph.
