Has Yuzvendra Chahal discovered an anti-aging drug that people don’t know about? In the three months he hasn’t played a professional game at all, has he found any jugaad to support this late resurgence in his Indian Premier League career?
It can only seem that way.
We got a glimpse of this in Punjab’s opener against Gujarat Titans in Mullanpur, where Chahal picked up the wickets of Shubman Gill and Jose Buttler to help his side restrict Gujarat to a sub-par total. However, the wickets came from attacking shots that were mistimed by the batsmen and caught in the deep. Heck, in Buttler’s case, the ball looked destined for the stands until Xavier Bartlett fished it out of the air to disrupt Gujarat’s innings.
But Friday was different.
Playing against Chennai Super Kings at the Chepauk Fort, Yuzvendra Chahal quietly changed the course of the game with a three-over spell that won’t scream from the scorecard but will be remembered. He did not fulfill his full quota, picking up only one wicket and conceding 21 runs. And yet, it’s India Today’s Play of the Day where we look behind the Player of the Match award and zoom in on the exact phase that tipped the game.
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Today, from Chennai vs Punjab, it’s Chahal’s three overs, a spell from hell if you were wearing yellow that turned the game in Punjab’s favour.
Before we get into that, let’s take a quick look at how the match unfolded.
IPL: CSK vs PBKS
On Friday, April 3, Punjab Kings dominated by 210 runs against Chennai Super Kings in just 18.4 overs. Opener Priyansh Arya and skipper Shreyas Iyer led the charge to lead Punjab to their second consecutive win of the season. Priyansh was adjudged man of the match for 39 off 11 balls in the power play, setting the tone for the chase.
Earlier, Chennai Super Kings huffed and puffed after being sent in to bat. Ayush Mhatre’s 73 off 43 balls, along with handy contributions from Shivam Dube and Sarfaraz Khan, helped them post what looked like a competitive total. It was a score that CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad thought should be enough.
Mhatre was particularly impressive when he attacked the opposition after an early setback. He hit 6 fours and 5 sixes to reach his fifty in just 29 balls.
In fact, Mhatre almost single-handedly revived CSK’s innings after a shaky start, taking them to 57/1 at the end of the powerplay, which almost touched 10 runs in the over.
YUZVENDRA CHHALA’S NIGHT AT CHEPAUK
Before Yuzvendra Chahal came to bowl, Ayush Mhatre was in full swing. He just dismantled Marc Jansen with two massive sixes in the 7th over, ensuring that CSK carry their momentum beyond the power play.
Enter Chahal.
The shrewd spinner understood the need to slow things down and did something that sounds simple but takes courage, he gave the ball air. He slowed it down, threw it above the eyeline and let the surface do the work. The grip off the field immediately put uncertainty in the minds of both Mhatre and Ruturaj Gaikwad in the 8th over.
The batsmen adjusted, or at least tried to. They chose caution, refusing to take risks just after the power play. For the first time since the opening over of the match, CSK were kept to six runs or less in an over.
Chahal has done his job. Almost.
From the other end, Mhatre continued his onslaught, picking up 17 runs off Marcus Stoinis as he looked to regain control.
The onus again fell on Chahal to bring things back.
He answered with clarity and control. Chahal slid the ball in, deflected it and forced Mhatra into a decision. After playing him closely in the previous game, the youngster went for a sweep. The result is a top edge to short fine leg. Vijaykumar Vyshak, perhaps surprised by the mishap, was slow to react and ended up groping what should have been a straightforward over.
Vijaykumar Vyshak messes up Ayush Mhatre’s catch. (Photo by AFP)
However, Chahal was undeterred. He didn’t reconsider his plan. He understood that the only way to score a goal was to double what he was attempting without worrying that predictability might lead to him getting hit.
He continued, the same loop, the same deception, the same nagging doubt planted in the batsmen’s minds.
And doubt is everything in cricket.
It showed on his next, third and final night. Ruturaj Gaikwad, though gifted with a pull down the leg side, failed to get a boundary. The shot lacked conviction, the execution lacked timing and resulted in Nehal Wadhera being caught at deep square.
Things that doubt makes batsmen do.
Ruturaj Gaikwad leaves the field after being dismissed. (PTI photo)
After stuttering the innings, Ruturaj came back, with reverse spin, traditionally his power.
Now consider this. As Chahal began his spell, Mhatre reached his fifty in just 29 balls. By the time Chahal was done, Mhatre had climbed to 69 off 41 deliveries. Just 17 runs off the next 12 balls, a phase that completely drained the life out of what was shaping up to be a dominant innings.
This slowdown proved to be decisive.
Mhatre, forced to regain lost momentum, perished in the very next over, the 13th, off Vyshak. In a neat twist of fate, Chahal himself completed the catch, completing the sequence he had set in motion two overs earlier.
Mhatra’s goal was decisive. He looked set for a century at one stage and could easily have added another 30 runs to CSK’s total. Chahal’s three overs ensured that never happened.
Ayush Mhatre departs after a solid knock of 73 runs. (PTI photo)
And in a game where Punjab ended up chasing the target with overs to spare, that quiet, calculated choke in the middle overs made all the difference.
On Friday night in Chepauk, Yuzvendra Chahal was in his chatur, chalak best, thoughtful, crafty and quietly choking the life out of CSK.
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– The end
Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
04 Apr 2026 05:39 IST
