IPL 2022 playoffs: Wanindu Hasaranga vs Yuzvendra Chahal, who has been better so far?

Leg-spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Wanindu Hasaranga are currently the two leading wicket-takers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. Chahal has claimed 26 wickets in 14 matches for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at an average of 16.53 and an economy rate of 7.67. Hasaranga, meanwhile, ended the league stage with 24 scalps in 14 games at an average of 15.08 and an economy of 7.38 for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

The strike rates of the two are pretty similar as well. The Rajasthan spinner has a strike rate of 12.92, while the Bangalore leggie's reads 12.25. The similarity doesn’t end there. Both bowlers have picked up one four-wicket and one-five wicket haul each in IPL 2022. It goes without saying that the two leg-spinners have been instrumental in their respective franchises' progress to the playoffs.

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Hasaranga vs Chahal: Breaking down their success in IPL 2022

As RCB and RR prepare for the playoffs, here's a comparative study of the performances of the two leading spinners in IPL 2022. We will try and figure out who has had the greater impact between the two.

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Performances in winning causes

RR leggie Yuzvendra Chahal is lifted by teammates.

Rajasthan won nine of their 14 matches in the league stage of the T20 league. Twenty-one of Chahal’s wickets have come in games that RR have won, which is a massive chunk. The numbers prove that he is a match-winner in the truest sense.

Chahal claimed four for 41 as RR defended 162 for eight against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Trent Boult claimed two early wickets in the match, after which the leg-spinner made sure that there was no fightback from the middle and lower order.

The 31-year-old’s five-wicket haul also came in a winning cause, against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He ended with figures of five for 40, which included a hat-trick, as Rajasthan came from behind to stun Kolkata by seven runs in a high-scoring thriller.

Shifting focus to Hasaranga, Bangalore won eight of their 14 matches in the league stage. Fifteen of his 24 wickets came in matches that RCB won, which is quite a decent number, though not as impressive as Chahal’s.

Hasaranga claimed four for 20 against KKR and was adjudged the player of the match as Bangalore restricted their opponents to 128 after winning the toss and bowling first. Not only did he pick up wickets, but the Sri Lankan was extremely economical as well.

Hasaranga's five-wicket haul also came in a winning cause. He ran through the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) batting line-up with figures of five for 18 as Kane Williamson’s men stumbled in a chase of 193. His impressive spell also included a maiden as Hyderabad’s batters were all at sea against him.

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Impact wickets

Wanindu Hasaranga bowling in a match against Lucknow.

Going beyond the numbers, it is also important to analyze what kind of impact Chahal and Hasaranga’s wickets had when it came to shifting the momentum of the contest. The Indian leg-spinner was instrumental in RR’s defence of a middling total of 165 against LSG. Lucknow lost four early wickets but a good partnership could have brought them back in the contest. Chahal did not allow that, sending back Ayush Badoni (five), Quinton de Kock (39) and Krunal Pandya (22). All three batters were capable of turning the match around.

His five-wicket spell against KKR at the Brabourne Stadium was a game-changing spell in every sense of the word. Kolkata were well placed to chase 218 as they were 178 for four after 16 overs. However, the RR leggie stumped Venkatesh Iyer (six) with the first ball of the 17th over and a couple of balls later trapped Shreyas Iyer (85) leg-before. To ensure there was no fightback from the lower-order, Chahal also dismissed Shivam Mavi (0) and Pat Cummins (0) off consecutive deliveries to complete a hat-trick and finish with four wickets in the over.

In RCB’s three-wicket win over KKR at the DY Patil Stadium, Hasaranga claimed the big scalp of Shreyas for 13. He also dismissed dangerman Sunil Narine for 12. His other two victims were lower-order batters Sheldon Jackson and Tim Southee. Harshal Patel (2/11) picked up the most important wicket of Andre Russell (25 off 18) and dismissed Sam Billings (14) as well.

The Lanka spinner claimed the big wickets of Aiden Markram (21) and Nicholas Pooran (19) during the course of his five-wicket haul against SRH. His other three victims were lower-order batters. That doesn’t take away anything from the performance. It was a brilliant spell that bamboozled SRH batters.

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Conclusion: While there is little to pick between the stats of Chahal and Hasaranga, an in-depth analysis makes it clear that the RR spinner has been more effective of the two in terms of picking up key wickets and the timing of dismissals as well. The battle, though, is not over yet!