IPL 2025 | Chahal — slight of frame, big of heart Premium

Yuzvendra Chahal's hat-trick heroics in IPL 2025 showcase his brilliance as Punjab Kings' leading wicket-taker.

Yuzvendra Chahal glided across the Chepauk outfield, his face bathed in a wide smile, and went sliding across the turf, striking a pose that is unique to him – lying on his left side, left elbow on the ground, right wrist on his right thigh. It had been three years since he had done that, at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, but you don’t forget these things in a hurry, don’t you?

The provocation for Wednesday night’s signature pose was the second hat-trick of his IPL career, as he became only the third bowler after Amit Mishra and Yuvraj Singh to produce more than one hat-trick in the most visible T20 league in the world. His victims might not send shivers down the spines of most bowlers – the horribly out of sorts Deepak Hooda, Anshul Kamboj and Noor Ahmad – but hey, who’s complaining? A hat-trick is still a hat-trick, right?

That it came in the 19th over of Chennai Super Kings’ innings against Chahal’s newest franchise, Punjab Kings, was of particular significance. Like most captains across the tournament have started to do, Punjab skipper Shreyas Iyer kept a couple of overs of Chahal’s leg-spin in abeyance, as much because he hadn’t had a good night until that point as because a certain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was still in the dugout, still awaiting his turn to bat. Even at his peak, Dhoni was an iffy starter against spin, and wrist-spin specifically. And clearly, at 43, Dhoni is certainly not at his peak.

Chahal’s two previous overs as CSK sought to erect an imposing edifice batting first were largely unremarkable, yielding 23 runs with no success. After 18 overs, with Dhoni and the big-hitting Shivam Dube in the middle, the five-time former champions were 177 for five, eyeing a late flourish and potentially their second 200-plus score against Punjab in as many games this season.

Enter Chahal, slight of frame, big of heart. His first ball was oh-so-Chahal – looped up, above the batter’s eyeline, daring him to have a go. Problem was, it was a little too wide. Dhoni had a cursory look, then let it go. One wide, 178 for five.

The next ball was another invitation that Dhoni, who seldom leaves the crease these days to the spinners in attack, lapped up gleefully. Full on middle, met with the middle of the bat. The ball sailed over long-on and was taken just in front of the CSK dugout by Ravindra Jadeja. 184 for five. Glances exchanged, saliva swallowed.

Shreyas’ heart must have been pounding though perhaps not as furiously as Chahal’s. But seeing the leggie, you just wouldn’t guess. He was calm on the exterior, expressionless, seemingly unfazed by the presence at the opposite end of the man largely credited with making his international career with his pithy, uncanny, wise inputs from behind the sticks.