“We know how destructive he can be with Yuzi coming in,” Shreyas Iyer’s audacious move astounds CSK.

Punjab Kings (PBKS) defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in an exciting IPL 2025 match at Mullanpur, earning their third win of the year. However, the game’s key moment was captain Shreyas Iyer‘s choice to keep Yuzvendra Chahal in check until the 17th over, even though the leg-spinner had the most wickets in the competition.

With teenage opener Priyansh Arya smashing 103 off just 42 balls, PBKS amassed a dominant 219 runs while batting first. Shashank Singh (52) and Marco Jansen (34), who supplied vital late-inning pyrotechnics, profited on his innings. Only Khaleel Ahmed and Ravichandran Ashwin were able to take two wickets apiece as CSK’s bowling faltered; the right-arm spinner was costly, giving up 48 runs.

Iyer discussed the significance of the leg-spinner and how he may pose a threat to the opposition when discussing the introduction of Chahal in the eighteenth over.

“I sensed that the instinct was to follow the seamers, even if we are aware of Yuzi’s destructive tendencies. At the post-match ceremony, Iyer stated, “Basically, we wanted pace against Dube, so we delayed a little bit, but eventually it worked out.”

With openers Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway combining for 61 runs, CSK got off to a fast start in the chase. But Glenn Maxwell made his breakthrough by taking out Ravindra, and Lockie Ferguson then removed Ruturaj Gaikwad. After that, Devon Conway and Shivam Dube put together a strong 89-run partnership that kept CSK in the game.

Why hasn’t Chahal been included in the bowling assault earlier?

Conway and Dube are both left-handers who are skilled at using spin. Iyer chose to break their rhythm by using a pace-heavy approach instead. After Dube was removed, Yuzvendra Chahal entered the game, and MS Dhoni scored just nine runs off the seventeenth over.

In the final overs, CSK’s chase stalled, giving PBKS a well-deserved win.

With their third victory of the 2025 IPL, PBKS now sits in fourth place in the standings. Following the defeat, CSK is currently in ninth place and is hoping for their second win of the year. On April 11, CSK will play KKR, and on April 12, PBKS will play SRH.