Yuzvendra Chahal has been a prolific spinner for India in limited-overs cricket representing the country in over 150 matches, One-Day Internationals and T20 Internationals combined, and picking up a total of 217 wickets.
Chahal, who plays for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, is the leading wicket-taker for India in T20Is with 96 scalps from 79 innings at an average of 25.09 and a strike rate of 18.30. He is also one of those rare bowlers who has a six-wicket haul in both ODIs and T20Is.
Born on July 23, 1990, in Haryana, Chahal was a national chess player at the junior level before cricket came calling. There was no looking back post the switch as Chahal grew to be one of the most sought-after spinners in limited-overs cricket.
The leg-spinner made his international debut in 2016 and was the top wicket-taker amongst spinners in the 2019 ODI World Cup with 12 wickets from eight matches.
Chahal rules the bowling charts in IPL with 205 wickets from 160 matches, the only bowler in the history of the tournament to go past the 200-wicket mark. He is also the only Indian bowler with more than 350 wickets in T20s.
The Royals had signed Chahal before IPL 2022 and he has been their highest wicket-taker after that. He headlined the Royals bowling attack to their first final appearance in IPL 2022 after the inaugural edition in 2008.
Chahal was the leading wicket-taker in IPL 2022, with 27 wickets, winning the Purple Cap for the same. He again finished as the Royals top bowler the next year with 21 scalps from 14 matches.
Chahal has reached several milestones in his stint with the Royals in the last three years. On his 34th birthday, here is a look at some of the special moments he has been part of.
Highest wicket-taker in IPL
Chahal was tied with Dwayne Bravo on 183 wickets in the IPL at the start of the Royals match against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2023 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. He dismissed KKR captain Nitish Rana, who was caught in the deep, for his 184th wicket of the tournament.
The leg-spinner went on to take three more wickets in the match to finish with an impressive spell of 4/25. The moment became more special later in the evening as Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed an unbeaten 47-ball 98 to power the Royals to a nine-wicket victory.
Since then, Chahal has continued as the numero uno with a total of 205 wickets from 160 matches in the IPL.
Going past legendary Shane Warne
Chahal had another memorable moment to cherish when he went past the Rajasthan Royals’ first captain and leg-spin legend Shane Warne in an IPL 2024 match against Punjab Kings at Mullanpur. Warne had a tally of 58 wickets for the Royals in his four years with the team.
Chahal dismissed Prabhsimran Singh to reach 59 dismissals, one step ahead of the master. He finished with a spell of 1/31 as the Royals won a close contest by three wickets.
Conquering the 200-wicket peak
Chahal was fortunate to go past the 200-wicket mark in front of the home fans at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Playing against Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024, Chahal dismissed Mohammad Nabi catching the batter of his own bowling to scale a peak that no other bowler had reached in the IPL.
He knelt immediately pointing his fingers to the sky in gratitude as the other players came rushing to celebrate the special moment. The Royals also won against MI that night by nine wickets with Jaiswal shining in the chase with an unbeaten century.
Rajasthan Royals’ highest wicket-taker in IPL and 350 wickets in T20s
Yuzvendra Chahal had another record coming his way in the IPL 2024 match against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. He went past Shane Watson’s tally of 61 wickets to become the highest wicket-taker for the Royals in the IPL.
Chahal dismissed the Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant who was caught by Trent Boult in the deep for his 62nd wicket in just his 43rd match for the Royals. The wicket also marked Chahal’s 350th dismissal in T20s, the only Indian player to achieve the feat.
Currently, he is just two wickets away from going past Watson to become the highest wicket-taker for the Royals across all competitions.
