Piyush Chawla relishing success with MI in IPL 2023: Always give my 100 percent and put my body on line

At 34, Piyush Chawla seems to have a lot more to offer, this time for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023. The veteran spinner has made a mark for the 5-time champions, repaying the trust shown in him by the franchise at the auction. The leg-spinner has picked up 4 wickets from 3 matches, which includes a match-winning spell of 3 for 22 in New Delhi on Tuesday.

It was Piyush Chawla's spell that contributed largely to Mumbai Indians' first win of the IPL 2023 season as the powerhouses of the tournament ended a 2-match losing streak in Delhi. Chawla took fans down the memory lane, deceiving batters in the air and off the pitch in a fine display of wrist-spin bowling on his return to the IPL after missing the 2022 season.

The senior campaigner snapped a 43-run stand by removing a well-set Manish Pandey, who was playing an aggressive and positive brand of cricket. Piyush Chawla looped one up and tempted Manish into playing a big shot, which proved to be his demise. He then got his googly going to trap big-hitting Rovman Powell out for 4 and another googly to rattle the stumps of young Lalit Yadav, who was completely beaten by the wrong'un.

IPL 2023: Points Table

Piyush Chawla broke the back of Delhi Capitals' batting unit and every time the veteran spinner picked up a wicket, Rohit Sharma ran to him and embraced him in delight. The Mumbai Indians captain had said before the start of their game against Delhi that senior players needed to step up and it was Piyush who set the tone with the ball before the skipper himself delivered with the bat in a successful chase of 173.

Shedding light on his preparation for IPL 2023, Piyush conceded that he was not playing competitive cricket as consistently as he would have liked to but he was making sure that he made the most of opportunities he got in domestic T20 tournaments in Delhi and Mumbai after having played white-ball cricket for Gujarat in 2022.

"It is true that I am not playing much cricket these days but I make sure whatever games I can play, I make sure I give my 100% and put my body on the line," Piyush Chawla said after the match-winning show in New Delhi.

"Sometimes when you go for a local game or a club game, you tend to lose your thing, you just come and bowl. I make sure I am bowling with my full potential, what I can do for the team and I don't watch much cricket to be very honest. If you bowl a good ball, it's a good ball in any format for any batter," he added.

Predictability is a dangerous trait, especially in T20 cricket but the 34-year-old leg-spinner believes that he is able to find success by mixing up his wrong'uns well.

"Everyone knows that PC is coming and he is going to bowl a wrong’un but I still end up getting wickets with those balls. So I am more than happy doing that," he added.

'NOT AN IMPACT PLAYER'

While Lucknow Super Giants have reaped rewards by using senior spinner Amit Mishra as an Impact Player, Piyush Chawla said his abilitty with the bat makes him a regular member of the Mumbai Indians XI and not just an Impact player.

The Impact Player rule, which was introduced in IPL 2023, allows teams to rope in a substitute who can also bowl and bat. LSG have wonderfully used the services of senior leg-spinner Amit Mishra, who has been replaced after bowling his quota of 4 overs.

“I am not being used as an impact player because I bat also lower down the order. It’s for the people who don’t bat or don’t bowl," Chawla said

“If that comes into play, it makes the game a little more interesting. Now, all the batting teams are batting till No.8 or No. 9. So it makes a difference as a team and if you are playing on a good batting wicket, even 210-220 is gettable," he added.

Having taken confidence from their win, Mumbai Indians will be keen on stitching momentum when they take on Kolkata Knight Riders at home on Sunday.