Yuzvendra Chahal's Top 3 bowling performances in the IPL
Yuzvendra Chahal, the leg-spinning maestro of Rajasthan Royals created history today (May 11) as he became the leading wicket-taker in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Chahal (187 wickets) went past Dwayne Bravo (183 wickets) to reach the landmark.
Over the years, the leggie has become a household name in the with his mesmerizing performances on the field, not only in the IPL but for India as well. He was a vital cog in the wheel for his former franchise, and is now doing a remarkable job for the Rajasthan Royals.
There have been many occasions where people have doubted the leggie but he has answered back through his spectacular performances. On that note, here's a look at Yuzvendra Chahal's top three bowling performances in the IPL.
#1 3-16 vs KKR, 2017
In a match between RCB and KKR IN IPL 2017, the Knight Riders batted first and got off to a good start with Sunil Narine and Gautam Gambhir sharing a 48-run opening stand. However, a collapse orchestrated by Chahal ensured that KKR were only able to post a total of 131.
The leggie picked up the crucial wickets of Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, and Colin de Grandhomme and ended with phenomenal figures of 3-16.
RCB should have won the game easily but a horror batting display followed and they were bowled out for a miserable sciore of 49 which left Chahal's superb effort unnoticed.
#2 4-25 vs KXIP, 2016
In the IPL 2016, Royal Challengers Bangalore faced off against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. RCB batted first and posted a mammoth total of 211-3 in just 15 overs, thanks to a marvelous century by Virat Kohli and a contribution of 73 from Chris Gayle.
KXIP had a terrible outing with the bat as they could only manage 120 runs in 14 overs before rain intervened. Yuzvendra Chahal was the lead destroyer as he picked up four wickets whilst conceding just 25 runs. His wickets included the likes of Wriddhiman Saha, Gurkeerat Mann Singh, Farhaan Behardien, and Kyle Abbott.
#3 5-40 vs KKR, 2022
In a game between KKR and RR in the previous season, the latter batted first and piled on a formidable score of 210. Jos Buttler led the charge with a sensational century, ending with a score of 103 of 61 deliveries. There were some valuable contributions from the likes of Devdutt Paddikal, Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer as well.
In the second innings, KKR lost an early wicket but Shreyas Iyer and Aaron Finch shared a 107-run stand for the second wicket to put RR on the backfoot. After Finch's dismissal, Iyer joined forces with Nitish Rana who was batting well too.
That is when Yuzvendra Chahal stepped up for RR, getting rid of Rana and Venkatesh Iyer in quick succession. He then got rid of Shreyas Iyer who was on 85 and looking dangerous. Chahal took a couple of more wickets and ended with figures of 5-40 to help RR win the closely contested game by seven runs.