Jaipur, Apr 23:
Yuzvendra Chahal, the Rajasthan Royals leg-spinner, has etched his name in the history books by becoming the first bowler to claim 200 wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Chahal reached this milestone during the match against Mumbai Indians here on Monday.
Chahal’s landmark wicket came in the eighth over of Mumbai Indians’ innings when he dismissed Mohammad Nabi. On just his third ball, Chahal induced an upper edge from Nabi’s bat, allowing him to take an easy catch.
The leg-spinner’s journey in the IPL began in 2013 with Mumbai Indians, although he was initially signed by them in 2011. His career truly took off in 2014 when Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) acquired him. Between 2014 and 2021, Chahal played 113 matches for RCB, claiming 139 wickets at an impressive average of 22.03, making him the highest wicket-taker for the franchise.
However, ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction, RCB chose not to retain Chahal. He was subsequently bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 6.5 crore. Since joining RR in 2022, Chahal has been a consistent performer, contributing significantly to the team’s success.
In the 2022 season, Chahal played a pivotal role in RR’s journey to the final, where he took 27 wickets at an economy rate of 7.75. His standout performance came against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), where he claimed his only five-wicket haul in the league.
Chahal’s achievement of 200 wickets in the IPL is a testament to his skill, dedication, and consistency as a bowler. As he continues to make strides in his career, cricket enthusiasts eagerly await to see how many more records he will break in the future
Subsequently, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s magnificent unbeaten century guided Rajasthan Royals to a convincing nine-wicket win over Mumbai Indians at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Monday.
Jaiswal’s brilliant innings of 104 runs off just 59 balls, featuring eight boundaries and seven towering sixes, was the highlight of the match. His exceptional batting display left the Mumbai Indians’ bowlers searching for answers and played a crucial role in Rajasthan Royals’ successful chase.
In pursuit of a target of 180 runs, Jaiswal and Jos Buttler laid a solid foundation with a 74-run partnership. Buttler contributed 35 runs before being dismissed by Piyush Chawla, who was the lone wicket-taker for Mumbai Indians.
Captain Sanju Samson anchored the chase with a composed unbeaten knock of 38 off 28 balls, including two boundaries and two sixes, guiding Rajasthan Royals to victory at 183/1 in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Mumbai Indians, opted to bat first and faced early setbacks with the dismissals of Rohit Sharma (6) and Ishan Kishan. Suryakumar Yadav managed to add just 10 runs before departing.
However, Tilak Verma and Mohammad Nabi provided stability to the innings with contributions of 49 and 23 runs respectively. A crucial partnership between Nehal Wadhera (49 off 24 balls) and Verma (65 off 45 balls) propelled Mumbai Indians to a competitive total of 179/9 in their 20 overs.
