The spin wizard Yuzvendra Chahal has been a seasoned campaigner at the IPL and has produced some notable performances in the world's best T20 league. Ever since joining RCB in IPL 2014, Chahal has grown from being a part of the bowling attack to a lead spinner for RCB. In his 105 appearances for the Bangalore-based franchise, Chahal has picked 125 wickets – most for any RCB bowler in the IPL history.
He also led the bowling charts for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for successive seasons in 2015 and 2016. The 30-year old would like to replicate that form again in the upcoming IPL 2022. With an IPL mega auction 2022 in prospect and if Chahal is not retained by RCB, a lot of the IPL teams would aim to target the leg-spinner to potentially include him in their IPL 2022 squad.
Here's a look at 3 IPL teams who might target Yuzvendra Chahal in IPL 2022:
1. Chennai Super Kings
Chennai is one of the few teams who rely a lot on their spin bowling attack considering the pitch on offer at the Chepauk Stadium. If in case IPL 2022 is conducted in India according to home/away fixtures format, CSK would desperately need a quality Indian spinner to exploit the helpful surfaces. As was seen in IPL 2021, a lot of games were low-scoring due to the slow nature of the wicket. The ball tends to turn a lot, hence making life tough for the batters to even chase down a total as low as 150.
If CSK manages to pick Chahal in the next IPL season, then he can form a lethal spin attack along with Ravindra Jadeja and cause nightmares to the opposition. In the recently suspended IPL, Chahal was bowling with the new ball for Royal Challengers Bangalore. CSK can employ a similar tactic to bowl him upfront which might fetch them rich dividends. Even though one would argue about Chahal's inclusion as he is having a poor 2021 already but he can be that x-factor heading into the IPL for Chennai next year.
2. Mumbai Indians
The most successful franchise in IPL history, MI would be eyeing to target Yuzvendra Chahal in IPL 2022 mega auction. If there's ever been a weakness to Mumbai Indians' IPL squad, it has been their spin bowling department. The franchise, except Rahul Chahar, don't have a quality spinner to bank upon in crunch moments. As a result, it could be a conscious effort from the MI set up to go after Chahal in the IPL 2022 auction.
The addition of Chahal, someone who started his IPL journey with Mumbai, will only add strength to their spin attack. Both Chahal and Rahul Chahar could form a deadly pair in IPL 2022. Both the leg-spinner are masters at their craft and them bowling in tandem can create pressure from both ends in the middle-overs.
3. Rajasthan Royals
The IPL winners from the inaugural edition, Rajasthan Royals have struggled to find a quality spinner ever since Shane Warne's swansong in 2012. After Warne's retirement, the RR management has experimented with several spinners in their IPL squad but none have been as effective as Shane Warne.
The likes of Pravin Tambe in the past, and Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Tewatia in the current setup, haven't been able to acquire a reputation as run-away match-winners with the ball. Hence, Rajasthan Royals would be itching to add Yuzvendra Chahal to their ranks. Yuzvendra Chahal and Shreyas Gopal can form a great duo to destroy oppositions with their leg-spin.
