Yuzvendra Chahal is currently the 2nd-highest wicket-taker in IPL history. Soon, he will likely take over DJ Bravo to become the bowler with the most wickets in the history of the league. In his 11-year IPL career, Chahal has produced several high-class performances with the ball. Here, we will discuss the 10 most impactful spells bowled by him in the league.
So, let’s get on with it.
1. 5/40 vs. Kolkata Knight Riders In IPL 2022
It’s certainly the best bowling performance given by Yuzvendra Chahal in his IPL career. On the back of Jos Butler’s ton, Rajasthan set Kolkata Knight Riders a huge target of 218 runs. KKR were in a fine position at 148 for 3 to chase down this total. Chahal got Nitish Rana’s wicket to make an impact. Soon, he also picked Venkatesh Iyer to make things tougher for KKR. Shreyas Iyer was the best batsman of the innings, batting at 87 off 50. The leggie got him out, too, to tilt the match in his side’s favour. Shivam Mavi also fell to him for a golden duck as he picked up his 5-wicket haul. His spell helped the Royals to sneak a 7-run win in a run fest.
2. 4/41 vs. Lucknow Super Giants In IPL 2022
Rajasthan batted first against Lucknow in the Wankhede Stadium. Thanks to a 36-ball 59 from Shimron Hetmyer, they got to 165 for 6 in 20 overs. The match was in the balance as LSG were 74 for 4. Yuzi got the wicket of Ayush Badoni to put his side ahead in the contest. Quinton de Kock was the mainstay in the chase as he led his team past the 100-run mark.
The wrist-spinner got him out for 39 to increase the difficulties for the Super Giants. He also got the wickets of Krunal Pandya and Dushmantha Chameera to take the game out of their reach. Marcus Stoinis played a stunning cameo of 38* off 17 to make things interesting. However, Chahal’s spell of 4 for 41 was enough to give his team a narrow win by 3 runs.
3. 3/18 vs. Sunrisers Hyderabad In IPL 2020
RCB batted first against SRH in Dubai. Devdutt Padikkal and AB de Villiers scored fine half-centuries to helped their team get to 163 for 5. In response, Hyderabad were cruising to the target after scoring 89 runs for the loss of only 1 wicket. Chahal picked the wicket of Manish Pandey to give his side a glimmer of hope.
Jonny Bairstow was single-handedly winning the match for SRH. He was batting at 61 off 42 before the leggie breached his defence. He then sent Vijay Shankar back for a golden duck. These two back-to-back wickets turned the game on its head. The last 8 wickets of the Sunrisers fell for just 32 runs. Thanks to a magical spell of 4 overs, 3 for 18, from Chahal the Challengers secured an unlikely 10-run win.
4. 4/25 vs. Kings XI Punjab In IPL 2016
Chinnaswamy Stadium is known for producing high-scoring encounters and this match was another one of those. Due to rain, the match was reduced to 15 overs per side. RCB batted first and Virat Kohli smashed 113 off just 50. Chris Gayle also got 73 off 32 and the opening partnership was a massive one of 147 runs. Bangalore posted a mighty total of 211 runs on the board in just 15 overs.
Chahal once again showed his class by bowling a superb spell on an absolute belter. Wriddhiman Saha was looking dangerous as he scored 23 off just 9. The leg-spinner sent him packing to put brakes on Punjab Kings’ innings. Gurkeerat Singh Mann was the next victim of Chahal’s bowling. He also picked the wickets of Farhaan Behardien and Kyle Abbott to return with figures of 4 for 25 in 3 overs.
5. 3/19 vs. Gujarat Lions In IPL 2016
This spell is from that memorable match when Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers rewrote the record books. Their massive 229-run partnership powered the Royal Challengers Bangalore to 248 for 3 in 20 overs. On a batting paradise, it seemed that Gujarat Lions would also get plenty of runs. But Yuzi didn’t let that happen. He first picked the big wicket of Brendon McCullum to make things tough for the Lions. Later, he picked the wickets of Dwayne Bravo and Akshdeep Nath to kill the chase. His 4 overs went for just 19 runs and brought 3 wickets.
6. 4/38 vs. Mumbai Indians In IPL 2019
MI were batting first in Bengaluru, and they got off to a strong start. The opening stand was 54 runs, and RCB needed a breakthrough. Yuzi rose to the occasion to sent Quinton de Kock back to the pavilion. Suryakumar Yadav came out to bat at the one-down position and took the aggressive route. He was batting at 38 off 23 when Chahal got him out.
Yuvraj Singh was also threatening after hitting 23 off 11. The leggie sent him back too. Kieron Pollard was the last man to fall against the spinner. His wicket was key to preventing the damage at the death. The leg-spinner picked 4 wickets while giving 38 runs. Mumbai managed to score 187 runs in their 20 overs. Bangalore fell short of this total by just 6 runs.
7. 3/11 vs. Mumbai Indians In IPL 2021
Batting first in Dubai, Bangalore put 165 for 6 on the board. Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell got the fifties in the first innings. The chase started with a 57-run opening partnership. Yuzi broke the stand by getting the wicket of Quinton de Kock. Ishan Kishan also fell soon to him. In the final moments of the match, he also dismissed Jasprit Bumrah to get his 3-fer. His magical spell of 4 overs went for only 11 runs and brought 3 wickets as well. MI were bowled out for 111 to hand RCB a victory by 54 runs.
8. 2/18 vs. Rajasthan Royals In IPL 2021
It was another one of Chahal’s special spells in the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. He picked the wickets of Mahipal Lomror and Liam Livingstone. More importantly, he gave only 18 runs in his 4 overs. His economic spell helped Bangalore reduce Rajasthan to 149 for 9. Thanks to a 30-ball half-century from Glenn Maxwell, RCB got an easy 7-wicket win.
9. 3/24 vs. Rajasthan Royals In IPL 2020
Batting first, Rajasthan were rocked hard by a sensational spell from the wrist-spinner. He got himself in the wickets column by sending Sanju Samson back to the dugout. Then, he picked the wicket of Robin Uthappa. Mahipal Lomror was the only batsman who looked good for the Royals. He, too, lost his wicket to Chahal for 47(39). The spinner bowled a run-a-ball spell of 4 overs to pick up 3 scalps. Half-centuries from Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli eased Bangalore to an 8-wicket win while chasing 155.
10. 2/17 vs. Mumbai Indians In IPL 2014
It was Chahal’s first season with RCB, and he produced a top-notch performance against Mumbai Indians. He picked the prized scalps of Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard while conceding just 15 runs in his quota of 4 overs. MI scored just 115 runs in their innings, and RCB won the match by 7 wickets.
