Rajasthan Royals Yuzvendra Chahal is already in the running for the Purple Cap for the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). He has made a dominant start to the season with the ball.
Chahal is currently second on the wicket-taking charts for the season. The leg-spinner has taken eight wickets in four matches and is just 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 opening win over Lucknow Super Giants in Jaipur. He followed that up with another crucial spell against Delhi Capitals, taking two wickets for 19 runs.
His best spell of the season so far came at the Wankhede. He dominated the middle overs, took the crucial wicket of Hardik Pandya, and finished with figures of 3-11.
With that in mind, let's take a look at three reasons why Yuzvendra Chahal can win the purple cap in IPL 2024.
1. Yuzvendra Chahal's ultra-aggressive approach bodes well for him
The current edition of the IPL has witnessed record scores and scoring levels never before seen on such a consistent basis. The luxury of an extra batsman in the playing XI, coupled with the ever-present optimum batting conditions, has encouraged the batsmen to go further than ever before.
Contribution through impact over runs has been the formula for several of the franchises and this has spurred the batsmen on to go after the bowlers regardless of the match-ups or any other underlying factors.
This only plays into Chahal's hands as he is an attacking bowler who relishes when batsmen try to take him on. He has the ability to outwit batsmen with his control and variations and finds more success when he tries to float the ball. This has served him well throughout his career, be it during his famous stint with RCB or in the national colours.
While batsmen may take an early advantage with a couple of boundaries against Chahal, the spinner will often have the last laugh.
2. As the tournament progresses, the pitches may help the spin
Apart from Yuzvendra Chahal, no spinner has made an impact in terms of wicket-taking in the opening week of the IPL. Even at the Chepuak, spinners did not have much of a say, with CSK opting to field a single spinner for a couple of matches.
However, there has been a change in trend of late. Whether it is Ravindra Jadeja or Krunal Pandya, the spinners are slowly finding their feet in the tournament and their influence could be on the rise as the tournament progresses.
With the relentless nature of the Indian summer, the pitches are bound to get drier under the sun, making things easier for Chahal and the rest of the spinners.
Chahal can capitalise on this, just as he did in the 2021 season. He had taken just four wickets in seven matches in the first phase of the tournament. In the second phase in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), played mainly on low-scoring, dried-out pitches, Chahal reigned supreme. He never went wicketless in any of the matches, taking 14 wickets in just eight matches.
3. He must prove an important point
Despite being one of the leading wicket-takers in the IPL, it is surprising that Yuzvendra Chahal has not played a single T20 World Cup match. The leg-spinner was a big hit in the UAE ahead of the 2021 T20 World Cup, as mentioned above, but was surprisingly overlooked as Varun Chakravarthy and Rahul Chahar made the final squad.
He went on to win the Purple Cap in the 2022 edition, and although he was selected for the 2022 T20 World Cup, he was not part of the playing XI in India's run to the semi-finals.
Now, after being snubbed for the 2023 ODI World Cup squad, Chahal has a huge point to prove ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup. He has enjoyed an impressive domestic white-ball season and has made a strong start to the IPL season.
However, it may be the Purple Cap's triumph that forces the selectors to reconsider their spin unit. Yuzvendra Chahal will be determined to upstage the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi, and the Purple Cap could be the icing on the cake.
Regardless of the demands of the conditions and the team combination, it will be difficult for the team management to keep a Purple Cap winner out of the World Cup squad.