The pace spearhead of Chennai Super Kings, Deepak Chahar celebrates his 28th birthday on Friday (August 7, 2020). Hailing from Agra, the right-arm pacer can move the ball both ways and the bucket of variations in his arsenal makes him a complete package in white-ball cricket. Under the leadership of MS Dhoni in IPL, Chahar has bowled some sensational spells in the past few years and played a crucial role in his side’s success. Owing to his impressive performance in the tournament, the bowler was drafted into the Indian team and he didn’t disappoint. Last year, Chahar registered the figures of 6/7 against Bangladesh which are best for anyone in T20I history.  Deepak Chahar Records Best Ever Figures in T20I Cricket With Six-Fer During IND vs BAN 3rd T20I Match, Becomes First Indian Man to Take Hat-Trick in Twenty20 Internationals.

Making his IPL debut in 2016 for the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant, Chahar wasn’t able to make a mark initially as he didn’t get many chances in the first two seasons. However, consistent performances in domestic circuit and trust of skipper MS Dhoni earned him a place in Chennai Super Kings squad in IPL 2018. The young pacer made full use of the opportunity and played a crucial role in guiding the Men in Yellow to the title. As the star pacer turns a year older, let’s revisit some of his best performances in IPL. MS Dhoni & Team Get Into ‘Habibi’ Mode As Chennai Super Kings Gear Up For IPL 2020.

3/15 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad

On a pitch where CSK piled up 182/3 while batting first in IPL 2018, Chahar bowled a stellar spell by taking the SRH batting line-up by storm. He dismissed Ricky Bhui and Manish Pandey for a duck before sending the dangerous Deepak Hooda to the pavilion. The likes of Shardul Thakur and Dwayne Bravo were taken to cleaners but Chahar didn’t fail to deliver under pressure. Thanks to his efforts, MS Dhoni and Co won the game by four runs. Deepak Chahar Picks Second 'Hat-Trick' in Three Days.

3/20 vs Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai

Another Deepak Chahar special came during the CSK vs KKR match in IPL 2019. The star pacer ran through Kolkata’s top-order in the first innings and gave his side a magnificent start. He accounted for the wickets of Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa and Nitish Rana and set the tone for the match. KKR failed to recover from Chahar’s blow and got bundled out for 108 runs. While chasing, the Men in Yellow comfortably crossed the line with seven wickets in hand.

3/26 vs Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad

Chahar bowled a stupendous spell in the finals of IPL 2019 which deserved to be match-winning. Bowling first, the right-arm pacer made an impeccable use of the new ball and dismissed opposition skipper Rohit Sharma for just 15 runs. In the death overs, he scalped the key wicket of Hardik Pandya as Mumbai Indians could only post 149-8. Chahar’s brilliant effort, however, went in vain as Mumbai won the game by one run and lifted their fourth IPL title.

The star pacer’s next assignment will begin with the start of IPL 2020. Chahar will like to continue where he left in the last season. However, with the tournament is being played in UAE, the pacer will tackle with a different challenge this time around. Nevertheless, Chahar and other CSK players are likely to reach the base in the second or third week of August and will get ample time to prepare for the tournament which will get underway on September 19.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 07, 2020 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).