Punjab Kings (PBKS) spinner Yuzvendra Chahal said that he deserves the ₹18 crores that the franchise bought him for before the 2025 IPL season. Despite three successful seasons with the Rajasthan Royals (RR), Chahal was not retained by them as well. It meant the new PBKS side could go all-out for him at the IPL 2025 auction. However, Chahal is the IPL’s all-time leading wicket-taker with 205 wickets at an average of 22.44 in 160 games as well.
In an interview ahead of the 2025 season, Chahal said (Via Hindustan Times): “I missed the first few minutes of the auction because I was very nervous. The auction is like that. You don’t know what price you will go for, which team. Lots of thoughts come to your mind. I am happy I am going to be closer home. When I asked myself, I got a reply from inside, “Yes, I deserve this price’. I’ve got four variations (leg-spinner, two forms of googlies, flipper). I trust them. The most important thing is belief. On the ground, how do you respond to match situations is what matters. That’s where you decide when to go for wickets and when to stop the runs.”
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Yuzvendra Chahal named South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen and the West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran as his two toughest batters to bowl to as well. While Klassen will be playing for the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), Pooran will feature for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the upcoming 2025 IPL season as well.
“Heinrich Klaasen is one, Nicolas Pooran another. They have so much power that sometimes even the edges go for sixes. They are the ones who are challenging. I have gone for sixes against them and done well against them too,” concluded Yuzvendra Chahal. “But, when I bowl, I don’t look at the name. When you look at their reputation, it will create pressure on you. I have the ball, they have the bat. I have to win the battle. I am not 6’5” or very broad. Mera sab kuch mind pe hai (My mind is everything for me). I always focus on that.”
