IPL 2023: Chahal backs Royals to recover after narrow defeat to SRH

Chahal’s magnificent spell of four for 29 went in vain as Rajasthan Royals fell to a last-ball defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Yuvzendra Chahal celebrates taking a wicket in the match against Hyderabad.

It should have been a spell and a game to remember for Yuzvendra Chahal, but he feels the sooner Rajasthan Royals forgets the reverse Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the better.

Chahal’s magnificent spell of four for 29 helped him become the joint-highest wicket-taker in IPL history. And it seemed Royals would probably get a badly-needed win after he dismissed Rahul Tripathi and SRH captain Aiden Markram in his final over.

But SRH pulled off a heist at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Sunday night, despite needing 41 off the last two overs. This was Royals’ fifth loss in six matches. But Chahal is confident that the team will come back strongly.

“We have chances of making the playoffs if we win our remaining three matches,” said Chahal, a little after he caught up with Dwayne Bravo on top of the IPL’s all-time wicket-taking charts. If it took Bravo 161 matches to take his 183 wickets, Chahal reached that tally from only 142 games.

With the tournament at the business end, the Royals team management must be glad that the leg-spinner is back at his best. “(In this match), I just backed my strength,” he said. “And I was focussing especially on length.”