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'Champion' Yuzvendra Chahal Bounces Back After Bleak Start
Follow UsAfter a poor show in his first five games for PBKS, the leg-spinner had bounced back well in the next two
0/34, 1/36, 0/32, 0/9 and 1/56 - it seemed like it couldn't get worse for Yuzvendra Chahal in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. His two wickets from the first five matches came at an average of 83.2, an economy rate of 11.1 and a strike rate of 45. Certainly not great by any stretch of imagination, for a bowler who is the leading wicket-taker in the IPL.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) were handed their toughest challenge in the season when they were bowled out for just 111 in Mullanpur. For a champion bowler like Chahal, a challenge like this is all they need to prove their worth, and it could not have come at a better time as the leg-spinner bamboozled Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to finish with 4/28 as PBKS defended the lowest target in IPL history.
Fast-forward to the next match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium—a venue where he has had the most success. With 54 wickets in the IPL at an economy rate of 7.6, it felt like Chahal had a point to prove against a franchise that let him go.
In a rain-curtailed game, Chahal dismissed two spin bashers - Rajat Patidar and Jitesh Sharma - to put PBKS on top further after the pacers had done the initial damage.
It comes as no surprise that Chahal has turned things around with such precision. His numbers in the last two games read: 6/39 at an average of 6.5 and an ER of 5.6. His turnaround could not have happened had Chahal been forced out of the side in the previous game against KKR due to a shoulder injury. We could not have witnessed two special spells where he cast his magic on the batters in the previous seasons.
PBKS, who got Chahal for INR 18 crore, may have felt that they made a massive blunder, but he is perhaps peaking at the right time with half the season left.
While his chances of playing for India again look a tad bleak, with Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar ahead in the pecking order, there is no reason Chahal too cannot get back into the mix, especially with the T20 World Cup beginning early next year, and the illustrious CV that he carries around.
The key would be to ensure that his intensity does not drop. Having bounced back so well, it would be naive to let of this momentum. With plenty of challenges ahead of him this season, Chahal will hope he and PBKS continue their quest to get their hands on their maiden IPL title.