Yuzvendra Chahal has more IPL wickets than anyone in the competition's history: 233 from 187 matches. But the gap at the top is tighter than it has been in years. Bhuvneshwar Kumar's title-winning 2026 season pulled Royal Challengers Bengaluru's veteran seamer to within seven wickets of the record. Here is Chahal's full season-by-season log, the closing race for the all-time wickets list, and an honest read on his toughest season in a decade.
Quick Answer - Yuzvendra Chahal Wicket in IPL
Yuzvendra Chahal (born 23 July 1990) has 233 IPL wickets from 187 matches, the most in league history, at an average of 23.25 and an economy of 8.05. He plays for Punjab Kings, is the only bowler past 200 IPL wickets, and won the 2022 Purple Cap with 27 wickets for Rajasthan Royals. IPL 2026 tied his career-low full-season haul: 12 wickets as Punjab missed the playoffs.
हिन्दी: युज़वेंद्र चहल के नाम आईपीएल में सबसे ज्यादा 233 विकेट हैं, और उन्होंने 2022 में पर्पल कैप जीता था।
Stats verified via ESPNcricinfo and the official IPL site, updated 2 July 2026.
The Bench-Warmer Who Became IPL's Most Prolific Wicket-Taker
Chahal is the only cricketer to have represented India at both chess and cricket. He played the World Youth Chess Championship as a junior before choosing a leg-spinner's run-up over a chessboard, and Haryana handed him a first-class debut in 2009 off the back of 34 wickets in that year's Cooch Behar Trophy. Mumbai Indians signed him in 2011. It did not translate to IPL cricket: three seasons, one match, 0 for 34 against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens in 2013.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru, playing as Bangalore at the time, picked him up for his base price of 10 lakh ahead of 2014, and that is where the real story starts. Eight seasons there produced the only 100-plus wicket tally any bowler has managed for the franchise, built on a career-defining 2015 that earned him his first India call-up. RCB released him before the 2022 mega auction. Rajasthan Royals paid 6.5 crore and got the Purple Cap in year one. He crossed 200 IPL wickets in 2024, the first bowler in history to do it. Punjab Kings then paid 18 crore for him in 2025, the most any franchise has spent on an Indian spinner.
Yuzvendra Chahal IPL Wickets, Season by Season
Four franchises, thirteen full seasons and one wasted year on the Mumbai bench. Every row below reconciles to the career total of 233.
| Season | Team | M | Wkts | Avg | Econ | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | MI | 1 | 0 | - | 8.50 | 0/34 |
| 2014 | RCB | 14 | 12 | 32.16 | 7.01 | 2/15 |
| 2015 | RCB | 15 | 23 | 16.04 | 7.95 | 3/22 |
| 2016 | RCB | 13 | 21 | 22.66 | 8.15 | 4/25 |
| 2017 | RCB | 14 | 12 | 34.83 | 8.61 | 3/27 |
| 2018 | RCB | 14 | 12 | 32.66 | 8.16 | 2/19 |
| 2019 | RCB | 13 | 18 | 25.61 | 8.05 | 3/19 |
| 2020 | RCB | 15 | 21 | 20.85 | 7.08 | 3/18 |
| 2021 | RCB | 13 | 18 | 22.55 | 7.43 | 3/11 |
| 2022 | RR | 17 | 27 | 19.50 | 7.75 | 5/40 |
| 2023 | RR | 14 | 21 | 22.85 | 8.50 | 4/17 |
| 2024 | RR | 15 | 18 | 27.50 | 8.40 | 3/27 |
| 2025 | PBKS | 15 | 18 | 26.50 | 8.50 | 4/28 |
| 2026 | PBKS | 14 | 12 | ~32.0 | ~8.85 | 3/36 |
| Career | 4 teams | 187 | 233 | 23.25 | 8.05 | 5/40 |
Yuzvendra Chahal's Best IPL Season: 2022
Released by RCB and picked up by Rajasthan Royals for 6.5 crore, Chahal answered in year one at the new franchise. He took 27 wickets in 17 matches at an economy of 7.75, breaking Imran Tahir's record for most wickets by a spinner in a single IPL season, and won the Purple Cap outright.
The signature spell came on 18 April 2022 against Kolkata Knight Riders at Brabourne Stadium: a hat-trick followed by his maiden IPL five-wicket haul, 5 for 40, with KKR needing 40 off 4 overs and six wickets in hand when he started the over. Rajasthan reached their first final since the inaugural 2008 season. They lost to Gujarat Titans.
Where Chahal Ranks Among IPL's Greats
On raw volume the argument is settled: 233 wickets, the only bowler ever past 200, a record that has stood since 2023 when he went past Dwayne Bravo's 183 at Eden Gardens, the same ground where his IPL career began. But 2026 changed the shape of the race even if it did not change the name on top.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 36 years old and in his sixteenth IPL season, took 28 wickets this year, the best single campaign of his career, to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru defend their maiden title. That run lifted his own tally to 226, seven behind Chahal and the tightest the gap has been since Chahal first took the record. A seamer near the end of his career just had his best year. A leg-spinner near the end of his had one of his worst. The record is not under immediate threat. It is no longer untouchable either.
RCB Years (2014-2021)
- Wickets: the only bowler past 100 for the franchise
- Role: Kohli's strike spinner, eight straight seasons
- Best season: 23 wickets in 2015
- Finals: one, lost 2016 to Sunrisers Hyderabad
Since RCB (2022-2026)
- Wickets: 96 in 75 matches, three franchises
- Role: senior spinner, Purple Cap winner
- Best season: 27 wickets in 2022 (Purple Cap)
- Finals: two more, lost 2022 and 2025
IPL Records and Milestones Held by Chahal
- Most wickets in IPL history: 233. The only bowler to have crossed 200, a mark he reached first in 2024.
- The only bowler with more than 100 wickets for Royal Challengers Bengaluru across eight seasons there.
- Most wickets by a spinner in a single IPL season: 27 in 2022, breaking Imran Tahir's record. See the full Orange Cap and Purple Cap winners list.
- Most expensive Indian spinner in IPL auction history: 18 crore, Punjab Kings, 2025 mega auction.
- Three IPL finals with three different franchises (2016, 2022, 2025) and a loss in every one, a record no other bowler on the all-time wickets list shares.
Chahal in IPL 2026 and Recent Form
IPL 2026 was the leanest season of Chahal's career: 12 wickets in 14 matches, his worst full-season return since his early RCB years. Punjab Kings opened with six straight wins and looked like genuine title contenders. Five losses in a row followed, their overseas pace options especially, and the attack could not defend totals often enough. Punjab finished fifth with 15 points from 14 matches, eliminated on the final day of the league phase when Rajasthan Royals beat Mumbai Indians.
His best figures of the campaign, 3 for 36 against Rajasthan Royals, came in the match that ended Punjab's unbeaten start. He was rarely the problem all season. He was also rarely the difference. Curious how his 2026 numbers stack up against any other bowler in the league? Try the IPL player comparison tool.
Chahal as the all-time leading wicket-taker is not really up for debate, and Bhuvneshwar's brilliant 2026 does not change that this year. What should worry Punjab Kings fans is different: this is a 35-year-old spinner whose best statistical years are visibly behind him, and the record's margin is single digits for the first time since he took it off Bravo. One more big Bhuvneshwar season, or a younger bowler having the kind of breakout Chahal himself had in 2022, and the record moves.
The harder truth is about trophies, not wickets. Three IPL finals, three different teams, three losses: 2016 with RCB, 2022 with Rajasthan, 2025 with Punjab. He has been the best bowler on the ground more times than most and the medal has never followed. Weigh that against any other spinner who makes an all-time IPL XI shortlist and Chahal's case gets more interesting, not less. The numbers say greatest ever. The finals say something has gone wrong at the very end, every single time. At 35, chances like these are not unlimited.
Frequently Asked Questions - Yuzvendra Chahal IPL Wickets
How many wickets does Yuzvendra Chahal have in IPL?
Yuzvendra Chahal has 233 wickets from 187 IPL matches, the most in the competition's history, at an average of 23.25 and an economy rate of 8.05. His best figures are 5 for 40 against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2022. He became the first bowler to reach 200 IPL wickets in 2024 and remains the only one to have done so.
How many wickets did Chahal take in IPL 2026?
Yuzi Chahal, as he is widely known, took 12 wickets in 14 matches for Punjab Kings in IPL 2026, his lowest full-season haul since his early RCB years. His best figures of the campaign were 3 for 36 against Rajasthan Royals. Punjab finished fifth and missed the playoffs on the final day of the league phase.
Which teams has Chahal played for in IPL?
Chahal has played for four franchises: Mumbai Indians (2011-2013, one match), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2014-2021), Rajasthan Royals (2022-2024) and Punjab Kings (2025-present). He remains the only bowler with more than 100 IPL wickets for RCB.
Did Chahal win the IPL Purple Cap?
Yes. Chahal won the Purple Cap in 2022 with Rajasthan Royals, taking 27 wickets in 17 matches, still the most by a spinner in a single IPL season. The haul included a hat-trick and his maiden five-wicket haul, 5 for 40, against Kolkata Knight Riders.
How much did Punjab Kings pay for Chahal?
Punjab Kings signed Chahal for 18 crore at the 2025 mega auction after a bidding war, the highest price ever paid for an Indian spinner in IPL history. Punjab retained him at the same value for the 2026 season.
Bottom Line
Yuzvendra Chahal's 233 IPL wickets remain the most anyone has taken in the competition's eighteen-year history, and that record is not close to falling. But it is closer than it has been in a while. Bhuvneshwar Kumar's 28-wicket, title-winning 2026 season pulled Royal Challengers Bengaluru's veteran seamer to within seven, even as Chahal endured his quietest campaign since his rookie year and Punjab Kings missed the playoffs entirely. The record survived 2026. Whether it survives 2027, with Chahal at 36 and Bhuvneshwar showing no sign of slowing down, is a genuinely open question for the first time in years.
