IPL 2022 | Yuzvendra Chahal, Hasaranga join elite pack amidst flourishing season

Indian spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was picked up by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) franchise for the ongoing IPL 2022 season. The cricketer set the cash registers ringing at the auction after his former side, RCB, decided to release him. Remarkably, Chahal has enjoyed a prolific season so far, claiming wickets at will and snatching a hat-trick along the way.  

After releasing the Indian spin wizard, the RCB management decided to rope in Sri Lanka’s enigma machine Wanindu Hasaranga. Serving as Chahal’s replacement, Hasaranga also thrived with the ball with his wicket-taking abilities and economical overs in the middle. 

Being the top two bowlers of the season in terms of wickets, the two cricketers have constantly exchanged Purple Cap with each other throughout the ongoing tournament.

Yuzvendra Chahal, Wanindu Hasaranga join Imran Tahir’s past IPL record

While Chahal has captured 26 wickets across 15 IPL 2022 games for Rajasthan Royals, his RCB replacement has claimed 25 wickets in the same number of matches. The two cricketers have now joined CSK legend Imran Tahir to become the only spinners in IPL history to collect 25 or more wickets in a single IPL season.

In IPL 2019, Tahir picked 26 wickets from 17 games for CSK. In doing so, the former South African cricketer also won the Purple Cap and was instrumental in his side’s runners-up campaign that year.

As this season’s Purple Cap race heats up between Chahal and Hasaranga, the two spinners will face each other in the Qualifier 2 on May 27.

The Rajasthan Royals will be taking on the RCB at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. The winner of the match will face Gujarat Titans in the final a couple of days later.

In hindsight, the winner might also determine which of the two bowling stars will claim the coveted Purple Cap by the end of the IPL 2022 season.