IPL 2025: Yuzvendra Chahal reveals meme-inspired reason for hat-trick pose vs CSK-OxBig News Network

Punjab Kings’ star spinner Yuzvendra Chahal revealed that his viral “laying down” meme from the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup was the inspiration behind his celebratory pose after claiming his second IPL hat-trick during the clash against Chennai Super Kings on April 30.

Chahal pulled off the iconic pose after dismissing CSK’s Noor Ahmed to complete the hat-trick, which also featured the wickets of Deepak Hooda and Anshul Kamboj. The catch taken by Marco Jansen off Ahmed’s miscue not only sealed the hat-trick but also marked a turning point in the game, as the momentum swung sharply in PBKS’ favour. Speaking during the innings break, Chahal revealed how his viral moment from the sidelines of India’s 2019 ODI World Cup campaign inspired him to pull off the same after his hat-trick.

IPL 2025, CSK vs PBKS: Updates

Watch the video here:

“The pose is very close to me. It came from the memes and I had planned to do this celebration if I take a five-fer or a hat-trick,” Chahal said.

“Definitely. It’s a good feeling. It was the 19th over and Mahi bhai was batting. Some things came in mind. But I was going for the wicket,” he added.

While Chahal had a fairly quiet outing in his first three overs — conceding 23 runs and picking the crucial wicket of CSK’s stand-in skipper MS Dhoni — it was his fourth over that turned into a masterclass. He ripped through CSK’s lower order to spark a dramatic collapse at the death.

CSK, who were 172/5 at the end of the 18th over after a stellar knock from Sam Curran, ended up being bowled out for 190 by the second ball of the final over — with Chahal’s hat-trick at the heart of the collapse. The performance also made him just the third bowler in IPL history to take multiple hat-tricks, after his last came for Rajasthan Royals in their clash against Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2022.