I just planned to bowl my best and kept changing lines: Chahal on hattrick heroics vs CSK

Punjab Kings’ hat-trick hero Yuzvendra Chahal revealed that he relied on his instincts and tweaked his line after observing that the pacers’ slower balls were gripping the surface during their IPL clash against Chennai Super Kings.

The leg-spinner, who conceded 23 runs in his first two overs, came back to deliver a game-changing penultimate over.

He first dismissed MS Dhoni (11) and then went on to claim the wickets of Deepak Hooda (2), Anshul Kamboj (0), and Noor Ahmad (0) — sealing his second IPL hat-trick in spectacular fashion.

“I knew Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) was there, so was (Shivam) Dube. But I had a feeling that I would get a wicket in this over. I didn’t think much whether they would hit me for six, I just planned to bowl my best and keep changing my lines,” Chahal said in a post-match interaction with skipper Shreyas Iyer, in a video posted on the IPL website.

Chahal finished with figures of 4/32 as CSK were bowled out for 190 in 19.2 overs, slipping to a four-wicket defeat against Punjab Kings, a loss that also ended the five-time champions’ playoff hopes.

Asked about the turnaround in his second spell after being taken for runs early on, Chahal said he had mentally prepared for the death overs.

“I knew after the pacers finish their quotas I will bowl the 19th or 20th over, so I was preparing accordingly. I saw the slower deliveries from the pacers were gripping (fas raha tha) slightly and not coming on to the bat.”

Asked if he had a specific plan for the hat-trick ball, he said: “I didn’t think of getting him out, I knew he would try to hit me and I thought it’s okay if he goes after me.”

The 34-year-old, who last played a T20I for India in August 2023, has been a standout performer this season. He had earlier taken 4/28 against Kolkata Knight Riders, a spell that saw KKR collapse to 95 all out while chasing a paltry 112.

Chasing 191, Punjab Kings clinched victory with two balls to spare, thanks to skipper Iyer’s commanding 41-ball 72.

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He shared a crucial 72-run second-wicket stand with Prabhsimran Singh, who registered his second consecutive half-century.

“I was just in the zone, locked in and let the instincts take over. Trying to enjoy the challenge which was offered to me,” Iyer told Chahal in the interaction.

On Prabhsimran’s recent form, he added: “Prabh is a batter who doesn’t think much, you don’t say do this or do that. If you see his pattern in last 2-3 games, he’s grinding himself out a bit, takes his time, his shot selection has improved greatly. So you confidence from the front and we’re able to rotate the strike brilliantly.”