Yuzvendra Chahal went past Dwayne Bravo as the leading wicket-taker in the history of Indian Premier League on Thursday.
With 183 wickets, he had equalled Bravo’s record in Rajasthan Royals’s game against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Jaipur earlier this week. And then, against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, the leg-spinner surpassed the West Indian by picking up the wicket of Nitish Rana to make it 184 wickets in 143 matches.
Chahal also finished with 4/25 - his sixth four-for in the IPL - and became the current Purple Cap holder with 21 wickets in 12 matches. RR won the match comfortably on the night, riding on another record-breaking feat by Yashashvi Jaiswal.
Bravo’s 183 wickets came in 161 matches and he picked up two four-wicket hauls in the process at a strike rate of 17.05 and an economy of 8.38.
Chahal’s numbers stand out also because 139 out of his 184 wickets came whilst playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore, who have been infamous for their bowling concerns over the decade. Additionally, 52 of his wickets came at a small ground like M Chinnaswamy Stadium, that is often referred to as a nightmare for bowlers.
For Rajasthan Royals, he has picked up 44 wickets in since he made a switch to the franchise. Among the leading wicket-takers, Piyush Chawla (174), Amit Mishra (172) and R Ashwin (171) feature in the list.
Chahal made his IPL debut in Rohit Sharma’s first-match as captain in the tournament, back in 2013, for Mumbai Indians.
Leading wicket-takers in IPL
| Player | Mat | Inns | Wkts | BBI | SR | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chahal | 143 | 142 | 187 | 5/40 | 16.71 | 6 |
| Bravo | 161 | 158 | 183 | 4/22 | 17.04 | 2 |
| Chawla | 176 | 175 | 174 | 4/17 | 20.29 | 2 |
| Mishra | 160 | 160 | 172 | 5/17 | 19.38 | 4 |
| Ashwin | 196 | 193 | 171 | 4/34 | 24.38 | 1 |
| Malinga | 122 | 122 | 170 | 5/13 | 16.62 | 6 |
| B Kumar | 156 | 156 | 163 | 5/19 | 21.30 | 2 |
| Narine | 160* | 158 | 159 | 5/19 | 23.17 | 7 |
| Harbhajan | 163 | 160 | 150 | 5/18 | 22.77 | 1 |
| Jadeja | 222 | 193 | 148 | 5/16 | 23.39 | 3 |
Chahal over the years in IPL
| YEAR | MAT | WKTS | BBM | SR | 4W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | 143 | 187 | 5/40 | 16.71 | 6 |
| 2023 | 12 | 21 | 4/17 | 12.81 | 3 |
| 2022 | 17 | 27 | 5/40 | 15.11 | 1 |
| 2021 | 15 | 18 | 3/11 | 17.66 | 0 |
| 2020 | 15 | 21 | 3/18 | 16.33 | 0 |
| 2019 | 14 | 18 | 4/38 | 16.44 | 1 |
| 2018 | 14 | 12 | 2/22 | 25.00 | 0 |
| 2017 | 13 | 14 | 3/16 | 18.64 | 0 |
| 2016 | 13 | 21 | 4/25 | 14.04 | 1 |
| 2015 | 15 | 23 | 3/40 | 12.21 | 0 |
| 2014 | 14 | 12 | 2/17 | 27.50 | 0 |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 0/34 | - | 0 |
Here are some reactions to the feat:
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