3 reasons why Yuzvendra Chahal can break Dwayne Bravo's most wickets record in IPL 2023
Punjab Kings (PBKS) defeated the Rajasthan Royals (RR) by five runs to win their second match of the Tata IPL 2023 in Guwahati on Wednesday, April 5. It was a disappointing outing for the Royals as they failed to emerge on the right side of the result in front of their home fans.
The hosts had a bad day with the ball as they were taken to the cleaner, barring Jason Holder and Ravichandran Ashwin. The ever-reliable Yuzvendra Chahal also conceded 50 runs in his four overs and picked up just the solitary wicket.
However, it was a day of records for the wily leg-spinner as he overtook Mumbai Indians legend Lasith Malinga to become the second-highest wicket-taker in the history of the competition.
With 171 wickets under his belt, Chahal is now only 12 short of former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder Dwayne Bravo's all-time record of 183 wickets.
On that note, let us discuss three reasons why Yuzvendra Chahal will overtake Bravo's record in this edition of the IPL itself.
#1 Yuzvendra Chahal always bowls his full quota of overs
Yuzvendra Chahal is one of the most reliable leg-spinners in the shortest format of the game. His subtle variations, change of pace and control over his lines and lengths have often made him the go-to bowler of his captains, be it for RR currently or the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the past.
Thus, even on an off-day, the youngster almost bowls his full quota of overs, thus maximizing his chances of picking up wickets in almost every game.
With still 12 games to go in the league phase, the odds are high that Chahal will go past Bravo's tally of 183 wickets.
#2 He is seldom injured
Being a spinner, there is seldom a risk of Yuzvendra Chahal missing out on any game due to a niggle or an injury.
With RR to play at least 12 more games in the competition, Chahal will get 12 opportunities to take the remaining 13 wickets to break Bravo's record.
He has a strike rate of 16.98 balls per wicket thereby, giving him ample opportunities to break the record of the star all-rounder.
#3 IPL matches to be played in various spin-friendly venues
With the IPL back to its original home-and-away format after three years, Yuzvendra Chahal will get an opportunity to bowl in several stadiums that aid spin-bowling.
In fact, all Indian grounds will start aiding spinners more and more once the pitches become used and as it becomes hotter as the month of May approaches.
Hence, the leg-spinner will have a good opportunity of picking up more wickets and leapfrogging Bravo in the list of the highest wicket-takers in the IPL.