KKR was right on track to win the game, but in the 17th over, Chahal completely flipped the game’s course

Since 2008, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has witnessed numerous five-fors, but only a handful of bowlers have managed a five-wicket haul plus a hat-trick in the same game – Yuzvendra Chahal is one such bowler who did the impossible against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on this day in 2022.

Buttler’s big game

Batting first, Rajasthan Royals (RR) posted a massive score of 217 runs on the board at the expense of five wickets. The star of RR’s batting line-up was Jos Buttler, who ripped through the KKR bowlers and scored 103 runs in 61 balls at a strike rate of 168.55. Other players such as Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer also contributed with the bat, helping RR post a mammoth target.

KKR’s chase at the top

KKR got off to a brilliant chase with 58 runs coming off Aaron Finch’s willow in 28 deliveries, whereas Shreyas Iyer was slowly building an innings that put KKR on the course to victory. Unfortunately, wickets fell at the other end of the crease, with Chahal dismissing Nitish Rana, while Andre Russell was sent home by Ashwin.

Chahal’s strike

Buttler's 2nd ton of season & Chahal's magical fifer help Royals beat spirited KKR in last-over thriller#RRvKKR #IPL2022https://t.co/Lgh3bpI5O1 pic.twitter.com/5WIbC47R59

— Sports Today (@SportsTodayofc) April 18, 2022

Despite losing four wickets, KKR made 178 runs in 16 overs, and with Iyer on the crease, the team was still on the course to a victory. That’s when Chahal took control of the game with his deceptive bowling. In the 16.1 overs, he removed Venkatesh Iyer from the crease, and in the 16.4 overs, he got rid of Shreyas Iyer, followed by two more wickets of Shivam Mavi and Pat Cummins. Suddenly, the Knights were reduced to 180 for 8.

BOWLERS WITH MOST WICKETS IN IPL :

224 - Yuzvendra Chahal.
205 - Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
195 - Sunil Narine.
192 - Piyush Chawla.
187 - R Ashwin. pic.twitter.com/TzPyhkEU9y

— Maina Singh (@Maina_Singhx77) April 15, 2026

Chahal not only picked crucial wickets but also broke KKR’s rhythm, from which the rest of the batters could not recover, even though Umesh Yadav tried his best, hitting 21 runs in nine balls.

In 19.2 overs, Sheldon Jackson was caught out off a delivery by Obed McCoy, who also picked the last wicket by dismissing Umesh Yadav.

From 178 runs in 16 overs to 210 runs in 19.4 overs, Chahal’s five wickets forced the game to take a U-turn, and RR won by seven runs. Four years later, Chahal remains the top wicket-taker in the IPL's history with 224 wickets and counting.