Yuzvendra Chahal is getting ready to play for his new team, Punjab Kings, in the upcoming IPL 2025, starting March 22 in Kolkata. Rajasthan Royals let Chahal go before last year’s big auction, and then PBKS picked him up for a huge Rs 18 crore – the most he’s ever gotten in his IPL career.
PBKS is the fourth IPL team that the leg-spinner will play for. Before this, he was with Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and RR.
Over his career, Chahal has bowled to some really tough hitters, but he thinks two batters are the most “challenging.
And it’s not Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli.
“Heinrich Klaasen is one, Nicholas Pooran another, Chahal told Hindustan Times. “They’re so strong that sometimes even when they edge the ball, it goes for sixes. They are the ones who are really tough. I have been hit for sixes by them, and I have also done well against them.
Chahal says he never thinks about the batter’s reputation when he’s bowling to avoid getting stressed.
“When I bowl, I don’t care about the name. If you think about their reputation, you’ll get nervous. I have the ball, and they have the bat. I have to win. I am not tall or very strong. My mind is everything. I always focus on that, Chahal said.
Chahal spent eight years with RCB, which plays its home games at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium – a stadium that is known for its short boundaries.
“The size of the grounds really matters now because the pitches are getting flatter, and bats are bigger and more powerful. But I always like it tough. I bowled on Chinnaswamy for eight years, so I am not scared of bowling on smaller grounds anymore, he said.
Chahal has taken the most wickets in IPL history, with 205 wickets in 160 games.
He also had the most wickets for India in T20Is until Arshdeep Singh recently passed him.
“When we were together at the (2024) T20 World Cup, I told Arshdeep ‘you’re going to break my record’. I am very happy for him, Chahal said.
