‘He is very defensive in his mindset’ – Yuzvendra Chahal criticised for lack of form in IPL 2025 for Punjab Kings

Ahead of the 2025 season, Punjab Kings acquired Yuzvendra Chahal, the most-wicket-taking player in IPL history, at the mega auction for INR 18 crore. So far, the Haryana leg-spinner has failed to defend his high price tag. Chahal has only managed to take two wickets in the season’s five games, and his economy rate has stayed at 11.13, which is quite concerning given his career rate of just 7.92.

Piyush Chawla and Wasim Jaffer have expressed their opinions on how to unravel the enigma of Chahal’s lack of form, despite the fact that he is a match winner.

The two also discussed how Yuzvendra Chahal comeback is essential to Punjab Kings winning their first championship in the lucrative league.

“He simply wasn’t attempting to remove the batter. He was merely attempting to throw it wide and bowl defensively, which is a safer approach. We haven’t seen Yuzvendra Chahal,” the former PBKS spinner stated on, referring to Chahal’s most recent performance on Saturday against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

He has no one to blame for that. “Well, he created that chance, and you need at least one chance, and he produced that one. He nearly made it there, but aside from that, I didn’t see Yuzvendra Chahal, who we used to watch a few years ago and even up till last year, when both batters were after him,” Chawla continued.

“If you see this season, he has bowled some 14-15 [15] overs, and he’s not bowled his four [overs] quite often, and he’s conceding more than 11–12 runs in a season at the moment, which [makes] you feel you want to play a defensive game,” the man from Aligarh stated.

He is the primary enigma they must unravel: Wasim Jaffer

However, Jaffer also shared his thoughts on Chahal’s unsettling recent performance with the ball in the IPL. He believed that Travis Head needed to be bowled frequently for the deliveries that the leg-spinner tried to dismiss. Chahal wasn’t bowling googlies, spinning the ball, or putting enough revs on the ball, according to Jaffer. The protective attitude, in his opinion, was an obvious indication of pressure. “The’main puzzle to be solved’ is Chahal,” the former PBKS coach said.

“I believe that Yuzvendra Chahal should bowl more frequently because of the few deliveries he made when he took Travis Head’s wicket. I believe we are missing something when we watch Yuzi: your desire to spin the ball, bowl googly, and put some revs on the ball. He has a really defensive attitude, and his face shows the pressure that’s making him, you know, off colour. Jaffer asserted, “But you know, he’s the main puzzle that they need to solve for Punjab to become good.”