The leading wicket-taker for India in the shortest format of the game, Yuzvendra Chahal, has delivered an incredible performance with the ball in hand on the eve of the mega auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 during the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024.
Playing for the Haryana side in their opening fixture against Manipur at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Yuzvendra Chahal showed his outstanding skill with the ball in hand. That performance has made a crucial statement for the veteran, who was under scrutiny after the recent Ranji Trophy 2024-25 performances.
The leg-spinner, who is also the leading wicket-taker in IPL history with 205 wickets in 160 games at an average of 22.44 and a strike rate of 17.1 with an economy rate of 7.84 thanks to his six four-wicket hauls and one five-wicket haul with the best of 5/40 in an innings against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2022, has not been retained by his franchise.
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In his previous season for the Rajasthan Royals, Yuzvendra Chahal picked up 18 wickets in 15 innings at an average of 30.33 at a struggling economy rate of 9.41, while his best season came in 2022 when he bagged 27 scalps in 17 innings at an average of below 20 and an economy of 7.75.
Yuzvendra Chahal picks 4/8 against Manipur in SMAT 2024
In the T20Is, the Jind-born spinner has claimed 96 wickets in 79 innings at an average of 25.09 and an economy rate of 8.19, with the best performance of 6/25 in 2017 against England at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Despite his quality performance, he hasn’t been considered for the national side of late.
The last 20-over in the blue colors for him came in 2023 against West Indies in Lauderhill. He was part of the T20 World Cup 2024 winning squad in the Caribbean and the United States of America but found Kuldeep Yadav being part of the eleven ahead of him.
In the game against Manipur in the morning, the opponent team decided to bat first on a good surface. Yuzvendra Chahal ended up four wickets in the four-over spell, going for just nine runs at an economy rate of 2.2. The timing has been great as he could now attract the attention of the IPL franchises during the mega auction of the league, which is going to take place on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The 34-year-old impressed in the recent season of County Cricket earlier this year with 19 wickets in two fixtures where he was part of the Northamptonshire, including two five-wicket hauls.
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His ability to pick wickets in the middle overs always keeps him in the hunt to pick consistent wickets. His ability to slow down the speed of the ball against the batters made it so hard for the latter. He will hope to get at least more than the price of INR 11-15 crore.
The comeback of Yuzvendra Chahal has shown his skill of rising onto the occasion. With IPL teams seeking experienced bowlers who can deliver, in pressure situations, he can boost his stock in the auction.