Yuzvendra Chahal accused of playing Safe and Defensive! Babar Azam of India found?

Former cricketer Piyush Chawla made a huge statement on Punjab Kings (PBKS) spinner Yuzvendra Chahal’s performance in the IPL 2025. Chawla said that Chahal, who is the leading wicket-taker in IPL history, has been playing a "safe game," which is not something he used to play a couple of years ago.

Yuzvendra Chahal was bought by Punjab Kings for Rs 18 crore during the mega auction. However, the wrist spinner has picked up only two wickets in five matches with a high economy rate of 11.13. He went wicketless for 34 runs in his debut game for Punjab, and his form has continued to be disappointing.

Didn't Find That Yuzvendra Chahal Which We Used to See - Piyush Chawla

Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Piyush Chawla raised concerns about Yuzvendra Chahal's recent performances. Chawla noted that Chahal used to bowl with an aggressive approach but now seemed more focused on avoiding getting hit.

"I didn't find that Yuzvendra Chahal who we used to see a couple of years back, and even till last year. He was just not trying to get the batter out. He was just trying to toss it wide and playing more of a safe game, defensive bowling. That Yuzvendra Chahal we have not seen," Chawla said.

Where is the real Yuzi Chahal? 😕 #TimeOut pic.twitter.com/tAIqi8XtHK

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) April 13, 2025

Last year, Yuzvendra Chahal became the first bowler to reach the 200-wicket milestone in the IPL. He is the only player to have achieved this feat. Piyush Chawla is the second-highest wicket-taker in IPL history, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar (186) is in the third spot.

He's Not Bowled His Four Overs Quite Often - Piyush Chawla

Piyush Chawla said that Yuzvendra Chahal’s recent struggles have affected his approach to bowling. Chawla noted that Chahal had not been bowling his usual aggressive deliveries, like the googlies. The commentator added that Chahal could have taken more risks to get back into the game against SRH.

"I have not seen him bowling googlies also. If you're bowling wide outside off stump for them [left-hand batters] and it's going away from there, so you eventually get a chance to get a wicket or something like that," Chawla said.

"But he didn't bowl that, maybe because of the lack of form. If you see this season, he has bowled some 14-15 [15] overs and he's not bowled his four [overs] quite often.

"You just want to get your four overs in and then try to pick up a wicket. But today, I felt it was the day when you have 245 runs on the board, any which way you're going for runs, so you should better try for wickets, and if you pick up those couple of wickets, then you are in the game."

Chahal Has Failed to Complete His Full Quota of Overs in Three Matches

Yuzvendra Chahal ended with disappointing figures of 4-0-56-1 in Punjab Kings' loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 12. He also dropped Abhishek Sharma, who capitalized on the mistake.

Chahal did manage to break the key partnership between Abhishek and Travis Head in the 13th over. However, his performance couldn't stop SRH from chasing down PBKS's target of 246 with nine balls to spare.

The spinner has failed to complete his full quota of overs in three matches this season. Since his IPL debut in 2013, Chahal has never had an economy rate above 9.41 (in 2024), but his current economy rate stands at 11.13.

Punjab Kings will next take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Mullanpur on Tuesday, April 15. Both teams have six points in the standings.

Also read: "Was sick for four days" - Abhishek Sharma's shocker after historic 141