Did Yuzvendra Chahal deserve the whopping sum for IPL 2025? The spinner clears

Yuzvendra Chahal has built an impressive portfolio as a spinner in the Indian Premier League. Debuting in 2013, the leg-spinner is now etched as the highest wicket-taker ever in the history of the IPL, with 205 wickets to his name. Until recently, Chahal was also registered as the highest wicket-taker for Team India in T20Is, with 96 scalps in 79 innings. However, despite boasting such stats, Chahal has already been pushed out of India's plans. Despite the India snub, Chahal found a hefty deal in the IPL 2025 auction, where Punjab Kings splurged ₹18 crore for the spinner. Now, the seasoned pick has opened up on the discussion of whether the whopping sum is justified.

Yuzvendra Chahal found himself in the IPL 2025 mega auction pool after Rajasthan Royals failed to retain him, along with the likes of Ravi Ashwin and Jos Buttler. While Ashwin was snapped up by his former team, CSK, Buttler went to the Gujarat Titans' den. Chahal, meanwhile, struck a golden deal with Punjab Kings. The franchise entered the mega auction with the highest purse, a total of ₹110 crore. Along with the ₹18 crore spent on bagging Chahal, PBKS broke records to claim Shreyas Iyer, with the stakes kept at ₹26.75 crore for the IPL 2024-winning captain.

After three seasons with Rajasthan Royals, Chahal is ready to kickstart another phase in the IPL as he heads to Punjab Kings. With just a week left for the 18th edition of the IPL to go on floors, Chahal opened up about his price tag this season. When PBKS snapped up Chahal for ₹18 crore in the mega auction, the bowler became the most expensive spinner ever in IPL history. Moreover, Chahal joined the league of Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant as some of the players to bag the highest deals in the auction. However, no matter how expensive, Chahal is confident in his abilities, which attracted such high bids for his spin prowess.

"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 to home. When I asked myself, I got a reply from inside, 'Yes, I deserve this price'," he said.