[Watch] Rahul Chahar strikes twice in two balls to dismiss Gaikwad and Dube in PBKS vs CSK IPL 2024 clashÂ
Punjab Kings (PBKS) spinner Rahul Chahar has roared back into form by claiming two wickets off the first two balls of his spell against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Dharamsala on Sunday, May 5.
CSK were enjoying a good spell of play with the partnership between Ruturaj Gaikwad and Daryl Mitchell budding into something significant. After a strong end to the powerplay, the visitors were placed at 69/1 after seven overs, prompting Sam Curran to introduce Chahar into the attack.
The leg-spinner started with a length delivery well outside off, which Gaikwad could deal with more than nine times out of 10. However, this time around, the opening batter ended up nicking it to the wicketkeeper as Jitesh Sharma completed a sharp catch.
Rahul Chahar had the dangerous Shivam Dube to deal with next. The left-handed batter had missed out in the previous match after being dismissed for a golden duck by Chahar's spin partner, Harpreet Brar at Chepauk recently. But, Dube could only record a second consecutive golden duck after being dismissed similarly to his skipper, the ball before.
Dube tried to cut the wrong'un to the off-side, but could only get an edge which the wicket-keeper pouched. Have a look at both dismissals right here :
Chahar came close to picking up a third wicket in the over as Moeen Ali's stroke against the wrong'un caught the toe end of the bat. The bowler had an opportunity to claim a return catch, but could not reach the ball despite a dive and capitalize on the difficult opportunity.
Rahul Chahar is on a roll after returning to PBKS' playing XI in IPL 2024
The leg-spinner had a rough start to the season, picking up only two wickets from his first three appearances. He was dropped after conceding 42 runs off three overs in PBKS' loss to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) away from home.
Rahul Chahar returned to the playing XI after almost a month for the clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens. In a clash that yielded over 520 runs, Chahar returned figures of 1/33, including the key wicket of Sunil Narine. He followed that up with a match-winning display against CSK in Chennai, picking up two wickets for just 16 runs.