At the end of the 16th over at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Monday, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) needed 40 runs from 24 balls with six wickets in hand. It’s called a walk in the park in T20 parlance.
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) brought in leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal for the 17th over. Four wickets fell in that over, including a hattrick off the fourth, fifth and sixth balls - Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Mavi and Pat Cummins, respectively. KKR were left with 38 off 18 with two wickets in hand. Despite Umesh Yadav’s heroics, RR found another unlikely hero in debutant Obed McCoy who took two wickets in the last four balls to help the team to victory.
But it was Chahal who changed that match decisively. Also, it was not his first heroic turn in this Indian Premier League (IPL) season. He has the most number of wickets—18 in seven games—so far (till April 22, 2022) this season. Second in the list is Delhi Capitals’ left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, with 13 in seven.
Chahal’s best in IPL 2022 has been five wickets for 40 runs against KKR but it is closely followed by a 4-41 he took on April 10 that helped RR squeeze out Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by three runs.
His performance so far has prompted Lasith Malinga, once the owner of the most wickets in IPL and currently the bowling coach of RR, to say that Chahal has showed how leg-spinners are match-winning bowlers in the competition.
It’s not just the leg-spinners but IPL 2022 has brought spinners of all kinds to the fore. At number seven among wickets is Wanindu Hasaranga of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) with 11 wickets. Another leg-spinner Rahul Chahar of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) is at No. 8, with 10 wickets.
If that does not cut it—for non-believers of spin bowling as a potent force in the shortest form of international cricket—then here is more. The most economical bowler so far is Sunil Narine of KKR, with an economy rate of 5.03. Off-break bowler K. Gowtham of LSG is fifth with 6.62. In sixth spot is IPL’s other bowler in contention for being the best, Gujarat Titans’ Rashid Khan, at 6.66.
Indications were fairly clear from the beginning of the season itself about the impact spinners would have this year. In the second match, between Delhi and Mumbai Indians at the Brabourne, two spinners returned with unusual bowling figures. Yadav finished with three wickets for 18 runs off four overs while Mumbai Indians’ Murugan Ashwin had 2-14 off four. Ashwin has six wickets from six matches so far.
But for Chahal and Yadav, in particular, IPL 2022 has given them a chance at redemption.
Chahal was not part of India’s World T20 squad in October 2021 though he came back to the Indian team in November at home against New Zealand. In five T20Is since, he has bowled at an economy rate of 6.78 for five wickets.
Yadav did not play a match last season for KKR and played just five in 2020 as Varun Chakravarthy replaced him in the team. Yadav had been losing the team’s confidence for some time now, as his 2019 figures—four wickets in nine matches at the economy rate of 8.66—were barely noteworthy.
“I got a lot of confidence this IPL. I am clear mentally. I don’t plan too much while bowling about what the batsman will do… I don’t watch videos at all now (for analysis). You do that when you are confused, but I have played with almost everyone… I focus on how I feel,” Yadav said after the match against PBKS.
“It’s all about the mindset,” Axar Patel said recently about his Delhi Capitals teammate Yadav. “He was struggling in the IPL as his place was not secured for KKR. He was not sure whether he will play all their matches. But he feels that surety of playing matches after coming over here. If you know your place is secured, and not that you have to perform in two matches otherwise you will be sacked from the team, then you can give your best.”
On Wednesday, DC restricted PBKS to 115 in 20 overs at the Brabourne Stadium, with Patel finishing his four overs with two wickets for 10 runs while Yadav had figures of 2-24 in four. Delhi won the match by nine wickets, reaching the target in about 11 overs.
The spinners’ success, besides their efforts, is also owed to the pitches. With all matches being played between four grounds in Mumbai and Pune, it has been easier for spinners to find their groove on friendly tracks. Brabourne has been the most generous—spinners have a bowling average here of 21.72 as opposed to pacers’ 33.40. DY Patil in Navi Mumbai has been democratic to both kinds of bowlers, giving an average of 28.72 to spinners and 28.74 to pacers.
Most of the spinners’ best figures have come at the Brabourne, including Chahal’s 5-40 and 3-25, Yadav’s 4-35 and 3-18, and Khan’s 3-22 and Chahar’s 3-25.
On Friday (April 22. 2022), with DC needing 61 off four overs, RR tossed the ball to Chahal to bowl the 17th over. He gave away just 10 runs, making the chase more challenging for Delhi who eventually lost the match. Chahal finished with 1-28, R. Ashwin with 2-32 and another round went to the spinners in IPL 2022.
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