Piyush Chawla Will Add Balance To Chennai Super Kings - Lakshmipathi Balaji

One of the surprise buys in the IPL 2020 Auction was Piyush Chawla. Chennai Super Kings helped raise quite a few eyebrows when they went after leg-spinner Piyush Chawla at Indian Premier League (IPL) Auction on Thursday in Kolkata. Though it brought criticism from a section of fans, the support staff member of CSK Laxmipathi Balaji feels the addition of Piyush Chawla will add balance to the team.

Chawla, who was released by Kolkata Knight Riders, bagged over INR 2 crore more than he was on at KKR in the end. It surprised one and all, as CSK already got many spinners in their arsenal. Chawla joined a team that already has the likes of Imran Tahir, Karn Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Harbhajan Singh as well as part-timers in Suresh Raina and Kedar Jadhav.

Not only that, but CSK also added Tamil Nadu youngster R Sai Kishore towards the end of the auction. It surprised many analysts and the fans, but Laxmipathi Balaji said the leg-spinner adds balance to the side, especially when they will be playing overseas pacers in the side.

MS Dhoni likes to have spinners – Laxmipathi Balaji

Further, he went on to explain that Piyush Chawla will be handy for MS Dhoni when he opts to play a couple of overseas fast bowlers. He also defended the choice to buy Josh Hazlewood, as he is new to Indian Premier League, only a few International cricketers have knowledge of playing him before.

“We wanted one all-rounder. In Sam Curran, we have one. Piyush (Chawla), the experience he brings in is great, and he has been doing well since the inception (IPL) days. He will give a balance to the side. Our conditions suit spinners. It’s good to have as many spinners as we can. We have a lot more options. MS Dhoni likes to have spinners, especially leg-spinners. He is a good buy,” Balaji said.

“If you need two foreign fast bowlers in the XI, then you can bank on that fast bowling department and Indian spinners. So experience comes in because Piyush has played enough games. He is one of the leading wicket-takers in IPL and he can bat too,” Balaji said to Star Sports.

Read More – Chennai Super Kings Full Squad

With the side playing its home games at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, the side hopes the conditions to be spin-friendly, and that’s where Chawla could be effective. It would be interesting to see how things would turn out for Piyush Chawla in Indian Premier League 2020.