Piyush Chawla, Mumbai Indians, IPL 2021, MI
Piyush Chawla. Image Credits: Twitter

Piyush Chawla believes SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) must not select a leadership candidate for Kane Williamson ahead of veteran fast-bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar for Sunday’s dead-rubber IPL 2022 encounter against Punjab Kings (PBKS).

On Wednesday, Williamson returned to New Zealand for the arrival of his second child. It was unclear at the moment whether or not SunRisers will make the playoffs. However, the Orange Army fell 2 points behind the top-four competitors and was disqualified a few games later.

Kane Williamson, Bhuvneshwar Kumar Image: Twitter
Kane Williamson, Bhuvneshwar Kumar Image: Twitter

Besides Bhuvneshwar, Nicholas Pooran, who’d been appointed as the West Indies’ white-ball skipper, and Aiden Markram are also candidates. Piyush Chawla believes the speedster is the best temporary alternative for Williamson because of his present form, management experience, and connection with the squad. ESPNcricinfo reported that he said:

Bhuvneshwar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Image: BCCI

“When it comes to experience, I believe they can go to Bhuvneshwar Kumar since he is an international player who has been a member of that squad for a long time, bowls in a consistent manner, and is familiar with the bowling unit and team environment. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the best alternative in my opinion.”

‘Umran Malik will want to end on a positive note’: Piyush Chawla

Piyush Chawla acknowledged that pace is a double-edged sword, stating he’ll need to strike a balance akin to his 3/23 performance against the Mumbai Indians (MI) as well as finish strong. He finished by saying,

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“He’s been losing a couple of runs in this competition, then picking up some wickets, and then he’s been costly again. So, in a large tournament like this, you can’t possibly expect to have 14 great games; some will be awful.”

Umran Malik (Image Credits: IPL)
Umran Malik (Image Credits: IPL)

He’s the type of performer who offers hitters so much speed to work with it before he goes for boundaries, he gets lots of them, and then when he takes wickets, he gets enough of them. But since this is his final match, he’ll want to go out on a high note, bowl in a similar manner to the earlier games, and do something positive for his squad.”

The match between SRH and PBKS will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Wankhede Stadium.

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