[Watch] Yuzvendra Chahal goes down on his knees after claiming 200th IPL wicket during RR vs MI clash
Rajasthan Royals (RR) spinner Yuzvendra Chahal became the first bowler in Indian Premier League (IPL) history to reach the 200-wicket landmark. The leg-spinner executed a soft dismissal to send Mumbai Indians' (MI) all-rounder Mohammad Nabi back into the pavilion and create history at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Monday.
Chahal was stranded on 199 scalps after dismissing Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Shreyas Iyer in the high-scoring encounter at Eden Gardens recently. He was introduced into the attack in the eighth over and needed only three deliveries to claim his 200th IPL scalp.
The leg-spinner bowled a flighted delivery after making a strong start to the over. Nabi tried to flick it towards the leg side, but could only get a thick leading edge. Yuzvendra Chahal took a couple of steps to his left after his follow-through and completed the simplest of catches.
He dropped to his knees right away to celebrate the wicket, with both his hands pointing upwards and his eyes closed.
Have a look at the historic moment right here:
Yuzvendra Chahal made his IPL debut in the 2013 edition for the Mumbai Indians (MI), before rising to prominence with a prolific stint with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Yuzvendra Chahal took only 68 matches to get to the 200-wicket mark after reaching the 100-wicket milestone
The leg-spinner took six years to reach the 100-wicket milestone, but he sped through the wickets to double his tally in four years. Chahal went past some huge names like Lasith Malinga and Dwayne Bravo to reach the landmark.
He became the highest wicket-taker in the IPL during the 2023 edition after taking Nitish Rana's wicket in the clash against KKR at Eden Gardens.
Chahal is also in the Purple Cap race for the 2024 edition. He is currently tied with Jasprit Bumrah with 13 wickets in eight matches, but the cap could end up either way with MI and RR currently facing each other in Jaipur.
It remains to be seen whether Chahal's record spree will help his case for a potential spot in Team India's 2024 T20 World Cup squad. He has been on point for most of the ongoing season and can switch gears in the second half of the campaign, as he has done in the past.