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Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson opined that the time has come to give leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal the tag of a legend. Samson described the leggie as someone who just needs to be given the ball and knows what to do.
Chahal starred with the ball, registering figures of 4/25, as RR hammered Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by nine wickets in match number 56 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday, May 11.
When the leg-spinner dismissed KKR skipper Nitish Rana, he broke the record for most wickets in the IPL, claiming his 184th scalp. In the post-match presentation ceremony, Samson hailed the seasoned bowler and commented:
“I think it is time to give him the tag of legend. He’s been bowling like that for many years. Very grateful and lucky to have him in the franchise. You never need to speak to him. You just have to give him the ball and he knows what exactly to do.
“He’s a very brave bowler, who loves bowling under pressure. He bowls at the death as well. I am really very happy for him.”
Following his memorable performance against KKR, Chahal now has 187 wickets in 143 matches at an average of 21.28 and an economy rate of 7.64. He has six four-fers and one five-wicket haul to his credit.
“We are used to it now” - Samson on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s knock
Chahal was not the only one to break an IPL record from the RR camp on Thursday. After the leg-spinner’s four-fer held KKR to 149/8, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed the fastest fifty in the Indian T20 league off just 13 balls.
Chasing 150, Rajasthan lost Jos Buttler for a duck as he was run out by a direct hit from Andre Russell. However, Jaiswal and Samson (48* off 29) added 121* for the second wicket as RR romped home in 13.1 overs.
Asked how it felt watching the Jaiswal blitz from the non-striker’s end, Samson replied:
“I didn’t have to do anything today. Just put bat on ball, go to the other end and watch him play. I really loved it. We are used to it now; even the bowlers know how he goes in the powerplay. He loves the powerplay and I am really happy that it’s coming off well.”
While RR moved up to third position in the IPL 2023 points table after the thumping win over KKR, the skipper admitted that they have two more “quarter-finals” coming up.
Discussing the playoffs qualification scenario, he commented:
“We have two more quarter-finals to play, the pressure in never off in the IPL. Each game, each over is important. Very happy today, but we have a few more matches to go.”
Rajasthan Royals’ next match will be against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday, May 14.
