India's T20 World Cup 2024-winning squad member Yuzvendra Chahal bagged an economical four-wicket haul in Haryana's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024 opener against Manipur at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Chahal conceded just nine runs in his quota of four overs and took four wickets to help his side bowl out Manipur for 86.
Chahal's first wicket came in the 10th over. He ended Al Bashid's troubled stay at the crease. He scored just two runs from 13 deliveries. Opener Priyojit K became Chahal's second victim of the day. He scored 27 runs from 35 balls. On the next ball, he trapped Bidash in front of the wickets. He got rid of Jotin Pheiroijam as well. He scored seven runs from 15 balls. Manipur captain Rex was the top-scorer for his team with 30 runs from 20 balls including two fours and as many sixes. Manipur were bowled out for 86 in 19.1 overs.
In the run chase, Haryana opened lost his wicket to Pheiroijam in the second over. HJ Rana look to attack and scored 20 runs from 13 balls. He hit three fours and a six. Rahul Tewatia came in to bat at no.3. He went ballistic and smashed seven fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 16-ball 43. On the other end, wicketkeeper-batter RP Sharma scored 16 runs from eight balls. Haryana chased down the target with eight wickets in hand and 13.2 overs to spare.
Chahal was not retained by Rajasthan Royals (RR). They cannot use the Right to Match (RTM) card to retain him either. If head coach Rahul Dravid wants to reacquire the services of Chahal, they may have to spend more and engage in bidding wars. He is one of the marquee players in the auction and has opted for a base price of Rs 2 crore.
Chahal's statistics
In the last mega auction, Chahal was roped in for Rs 6.25 crore. He is likely to go for more in this edition. The 34-year-old has 205 wickets from 160 games including one five-wicket haul and six four-fers. In just three seasons, he became RR's second-highest wicket-taker. From 46 games, he took 66 wickets including one fifer and four four-wicket hauls. In the last season, he had 18 wickets from 15 games. His economy rate went up as he conceded over nine runs per over.
