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Yuzvendra Chahal for Haryana - (Source: Chahal/X.com)
On Thursday, December 18, Haryana locked horns against Jharkhand in the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025. For the much-awaited final at the MCA stadium in Pune, Haryana won the toss and opted to field first.
The Ishan Kishan-led side got off to a flying start, and suddenly, Haryana felt the absence of their star spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal. Notably, the 35-year-old has featured for Haryana in just three games and missed the rest of the games.
Yuzvendra Chahal down with dengue and chikangunya
Chahal, in his three matches, took four wickets but gave away runs at an economy of 9.91. There were assumptions that the right-arm spinner has been rested or dropped, but in the latest events, Chahal took to Twitter and revealed that he had been diagnosed with Dengue and Chikungunya, which has ruled him out of action. Nonetheless, Chahal wished his team well, who are eyeing their maiden SMAT title.
"Wishing my team Haryana all the very best for the SMAT finals. I wished to be a part of the team, but unfortunately, I am down with dengue and chikungunya, which have really taken a toll on my health. The doctors have asked to focus only on rest and recovery. I’ll be back in the field and bowling to my full strength soon," remarked Chahal via a Twitter post.
Irrespective of Chahal's absence, Haryana bowlers have done well as Anshul Kamboj has been their best bowler with 21 wickets in 11 innings. Meanwhile, Samant Devender Jakhar has also done well with 13 wickets in 10 games. Talking about the ongoing match, at the time of writing this article, Haryana are struggling as Ishan Kishan has taken the game away with his blistering fifty. Meanwhile, Jharkhand are batting on 109/1 after 9 overs.
