"Purple Patel was not coming close to purple at all this year" - Aakash Chopra lauds Harshal Patel's spell for RCB vs CSK in IPL 2022

Aakash Chopra has lauded Harshal Patel for bouncing back from a rather lean season thus far to bowl a match-winning spell.

Patel returned figures of 3/35 in Wednesday's (May 4) IPL 2022 encounter between the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). His spell helped RCB defend a 174-run target and win the match by 13 runs.

While reflecting on Harshal Patel's spell in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra highlighted the difficult times RCB's specialist death bowler has endured. He elaborated:

"Purple Patel was not coming close to purple at all this year. He had taken just one wicket in the death overs before this match and he was getting hit also. It's not been a great season for him because there is a family tragedy, went home and came back, you are not in the same mood when you have lost a very close person."

The former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) player pointed out that Patel repaid RCB for the faith they have shown in him. Chopra observed:

"But cricket gave him another opportunity, his team not only stuck with him but continued giving him the difficult overs and then he delivered. The chance cricket gives you to revive yourself, that's so beautiful."

Patel's 3/35 was his first three-wicket haul in IPL 2022. Last season's IPL Purple Cap winner had picked up just 10 wickets in the nine matches he played before last night's encounter.

Check out the IPL timetable here.

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"The match could have gone either way" - Aakash Chopra on Harshal Patel's game-defining spell

Harshal Patel was awarded the Player of the Match [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra observed that the match was in the balance when Patel was introduced into the attack. He explained:

"It was going fifty-fifty. The match could have gone either way because Moeen Ali was present there and Ravindra Jadeja was also there with him, eventually Jaddu will score runs right, all of us thought so because he had hit Harshal for 37 runs in an over."

The renowned commentator highlighted that Patel's three-wicket haul sealed the match in RCB's favor. Chopra stated:

"But here Harshal sent him (Jadeja) out, he also sent Moeen and Pretorius out. When you pick up those three big wickets, you finish the match, done and dusted, sealed and delivered. That was Harshal Patel."

Patel made the best use of a Pune pitch that was gripping a little. Although his first over went for 10 runs, including a couple of fours, he bounced back brilliantly to pick up a wicket each in his last three overs.

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