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Rajasthan Royals (RR) Yuzvendra Chahal is already in contention for the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) Purple Cap after making a dominant start to the season with the ball.
Chahal is currently placed second on the list of the leading wicket-takers in the campaign. The leg-spinner has picked up eight wickets in four matches, and is only one wicket behind Purple Cap holder Mustafizur Rahman with a game in hand.
Chahal began his campaign with a tight spell of 1/25 in RR's season-opener win against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Jaipur. He followed that up with yet another decisive spell against the Delhi Capitals, where he claimed two wickets while conceding 19 runs.
His best spell of the season so far came at Wankhede Stadium. He dominated the middle overs, took Hardik Pandya's crucial wicket, and ended with figures of 3-11.
He will be on the lookout for wickets once again, when the unbeaten Rajasthan Royals (RR) host the Gujarat Titans (GT) on Wednesday, April 10.
On that note, let us take a look at three reasons why Yuzvendra Chahal can win the Purple Cap in IPL 2024.
#1 Ultra aggressive approach used by batters bodes well for Yuzvendra Chahal
The ongoing IPL edition has witnessed record scores and scoring levels that have never been on show on such a consistent basis. The luxury of playing an extra batter in the playing XI coupled with the ever-reliant optimum batting conditions has encouraged the batters to push even further than before.
Contribution through impact over runs has been the formula for several of the franchises, and this has spurred batters on to go after bowlers irrespective of matchups or any other underlying factors.
This only plays into Chahal's hand, as he is an attacking bowler who relishes it when batters try to take him on. He has the ability to outfox the batters with his control and variations, and finds more success when trying to float the ball up. This has resonated with him throughout his career, whether it be during his famous stint with RCB or even in national colors.
Although the batters might gain an early advantage with a couple of boundaries against Chahal, more often than not, it is the spinner who has the last laugh.
#2 Pitches might aid spin as the tournament progresses
No spinner barring Yuzvendra Chahal had an impact in terms of wicket-taking in the opening week of the IPL. Spinners did not have a huge say in the proceedings, even at the Chepuak for a brief while with CSK opting to field just one spinner for a couple of games.
However, there has been a change in the trend recently. Whether it be Ravindra Jadeja or Krunal Pandya, spinners are slowly growing into the tournament and their influence might only go on to increase as the tournament progresses.
Given the relentless nature of the Indian summer, pitches are bound to get drier and drier under exposure to sunlight, making things easier for Chahal and the rest of the spinners.
Chahal can capitalize on this, just as he did in the 2021 season. He had only picked four wickets in seven matches, which marked the first phase of the tournament. In the second phase in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), played primarily on low-scoring, dried-out pitches, Chahal reigned supreme. He never ended up wicketless in any of the matches, picking up 14 wickets in just eight matches.
#3 He has a major point to prove
Despite being among the leading wicket-takers in the IPL, it is astonishing that Yuzvendra Chahal has not played a single T20 World Cup match. The leg-spinner had great success in the UAE as mentioned above ahead of the 2021 T20 World Cup, but was surprisingly overlooked as Varun Chakravarthy and Rahul Chahar made it to the final squad.
He went on to win the Purple Cap in the 2022 edition, and while he earned a selection for the 2022 T20 World Cup, he was not part of the playing XI in India's run to the semi-finals.
Now, after a snub from the 2023 ODI World Cup squad, Chahal has a huge point to prove in the build-up to the 2024 T20 World Cup. He has had a formidable domestic white-ball season, and now has a strong start to the IPL season as well.
However, it might just be the Purple Cap triumph that might force the selectors to think about their spin unit once again. Yuzvendra Chahal will be determined to upstage his compatriots like Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi, and the Purple Cap might just be the icing on the cake.
It will be difficult for the team management to keep a Purple Cap winner out of the World Cup squad, irrespective of the demands set by the conditions and the team combination.
