IPL 2023, Piyush Chawla makes a stellar comeback: Key stats
Mumbai Indians have made a mixed start to the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, winning two of their first four games. While bowling has been a major issue for them, Piyush Chawla has stood out in this department. The veteran leg-spinner has been at his best this season and played a vital role in MI's couple of victories. Here are his stats.
Why does this story matter?
Chawla, who has been associated with the IPL since 2008, is among the top wicket-takers in the competition. However, his stocks significantly went down in recent years. While Chawla played just one game for MI in the 2021 season, he went sold in the 2022 mega auction. MI bought him back for his base price of Rs. 50 lakh in the 2023 auction.
How he has fared this season
While Jasprit Bumrah is missing IPL 2023 due to back issues, Jofra Archer missed MI's last three games due to an elbow injury. Hence, MI's position in the team standings might have been worsened had Chawla not stepped up. He has so far scalped five wickets in four matches at a sensational economy rate of 5.25. 3/22 read his best figures.
A look at his overall IPL numbers
The sixth-highest wicket-taker in IPL history, Chawla has so far scalped 162 wickets in 169 games at 27.16. 7.83 reads his overall economy rate. The tally includes two four-wicket hauls with his best figures being 4/17. Yuzvendra Chahal (177) and Amit Mishra (169) are the only leg-spinners with more IPL wickets. Chawla would be determined to enhance his tally.
His journey in IPL
Chawla started his IPL journey with Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and served them for six seasons. His tally of 84 wickets in 87 games is still the highest for a PBKS bowler. The leggie spent his next six seasons with Kolkata Knight Riders, accumulating 66 wickets in 70 games. He played seven games for Chennai Super Kings in 2020, scalping six wickets.
