Rajasthan Royals leg-break spinner Wanindu Hasaranga’s ‘Pushpa’-style celebration against Chennai Super Kings in the current Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 was motivated by his passion for South Indian films.

On a thrilling Sunday, the Royals won their first game in the 18th season of the lucrative tournament thanks to the Sri Lankan ball tweaker’s four-wicket haul.

After giving up a maximum of three times, Hasaranga punched the Super Kings hitters’ return ticket with one of his four scalps.

Hasaranga celebrated his moment of victory by adding a cinematic flair. He performed the famous dance from Allu Arjun’s hit movie “Pushpa” to spice up the suspenseful event and provide amusement.
After the game, Hasaranga said, “I love to watch Telugu, Malayalam, and Tamil films, and I got that from the Pushpa film.”

Hasaranga was Rajasthan’s hero with the ball, much as in the movies. He made an immediate impression by getting rid of Rahul Tripathi on the first ball of the game.

He concluded his four-over session with figures of 4/35 after continuing to compound CSK’s problems by hitting at key moments, shattering the backbone of their chase, and leaving them fatigued.

“I tried to bowl stumps, tried to perform my fundamental stuff, and then tried bowling wide. In the first innings, our hitters performed really well, and we saw the wicket’s behavior,” he said.

Despite trapping Shivam Dube, Tripathi, Rutuaj Gaikwad, and Vijay Shankar in his spin web, Hasaranga most enjoyed taking out the CSK captain, who threatened to end the match with his blazing 63.

Ruturaj Gaikwad was the wicket he most appreciated since he is a very excellent player and played effectively. At the conclusion of the innings, I got him out. Hetmyer was also on the field, and Riyan Parag made a fantastic grab,” he remarked.

Rajasthan’s 182-run defense forced CSK to bend at the windmills. The best players from CSK entered the game, played a few balls, and then died and gave up to a six-run loss.

Even though the hosts felt a good deal of schadenfreude, Hasaranga seemed confident in their bowling assault, particularly after losing their last two games.

“Maheesh (Theekshana) and I have a great bowling assault, particularly in the middle, and we each have a distinct job to perform. including the quick bowlers. According to him, Maheesh (Theekshana) and I had to play varied roles, sometimes in the center and other times with the old ball.