Former India spinner Piyush Chawla has sounded a warning for Punjab Kings, pointing to Arshdeep Singh’s struggles with the ball as the franchise heads toward the business end of the IPL season. Chawla believes the left-arm pacer’s recurring off-returns could become a serious issue during playoff cricket, where one bad spell can swing the momentum.
Quick facts
- Piyush Chawla raised concerns about Punjab Kings pacer Arshdeep Singh’s “poor bowling”
- Arshdeep conceded 68 runs at PCA New International Stadium on Tuesday
- Punjab Kings, captained by Shreyas Iyer, lost their first IPL 2026 match by 6 wickets
- Punjab Kings failed to defend a total of 222 against Rajasthan Royals
- Chawla cited Arshdeep’s season record: 8 wickets in 8 matches
- PBKS remain top of the points table with 13 points from 8 games
- Next match for PBKS is against Gujarat Titans on May 3
Chawla’s assessment centres on how Arshdeep has looked out of rhythm at crucial phases of matches. He noted that while a rare bad game can happen, the frequency of the problems is what makes it worrying—particularly when teams step into playoff scenarios.
He also highlighted the danger of being forced into “chasing” mode after falling behind. In his view, if a bowler with a key role in the starting overs has a poor day when it matters most, the team can end up playing catch-up instead of controlling the contest.
Chawla stressed that Arshdeep is typically expected to make early inroads in the powerplay. However, when he doesn’t deliver wickets upfront, the pressure shifts to the rest of the bowling unit—and Chawla suggested that in such cases Arshdeep tends to give away too many runs.
To underline his point, Chawla referenced how Arshdeep can be a match-winner with the new ball when his rhythm is right. He pointed to a spell against MI where Arshdeep returned figures of 3 for 22, describing it as the type of performance Punjab would want to see more often.
But the former spinner contrasted that with Arshdeep’s current season output, saying the pacer has been leaking runs at close to 11 runs per over. While Chawla acknowledged that Arshdeep sometimes bowls demanding overs in the powerplay and at the death, he still framed him as one of the team’s premium bowling options—meaning the standard needs to be higher.
PBKS position after the RR defeat
Despite the loss, Punjab Kings have not lost their grip on the table. After falling short against Rajasthan Royals, they remain first in the points standings, sitting on 13 points from eight matches.
Punjab Kings will now turn their attention to their next outing against Gujarat Titans on May 3, with the playoffs looming and the need to address Arshdeep’s form becoming increasingly urgent.
