"He picks up wickets whenever he plays" - Amol Muzumdar lauds Piyush Chawla's spell in MI's IPL 2023 win vs SRH

Amol Muzumdar has lauded Piyush Chawla for striking crucial blows with the ball in the Mumbai Indians' (MI) win in their IPL 2023 clash against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Rohit Sharma and Co. set SRH a 193-run target after being asked to bat first at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday, April 18. Chawla registered figures of 2/43 in his four overs as the visitors bowled out the home team for 178 to register a 14-run win and climb to sixth spot in the IPL 2023 points table.

During a post-match discussion on Star Sports, Muzumdar was asked about his thoughts on Piyush Chawla bouncing back to pick up a wicket after conceding more than 20 runs in the same over, to which he responded:

"He picks up wickets whenever he plays. We have seen it in the IPL, there has been just one year when he hasn't played. It was a big over when he trapped Heinrich Klaasen in his web."

While praising Tim David for taking a well-judged catch, the former Mumbai batter highlighted that the veteran leg-spinner showcased his wicket-taking credentials once again, stating:

"You will have to praise Tim David as well as it was a pressure catch. But if we talk about Piyush Chawla, he has always been a wicket-taker and he is proving that by doing it."

Piyush Chawla was expensive today but that wicket of Klassen was the game changer. Deserves appreciation 💙 https://t.co/hiN7skbUEg

Chawla first had Abhishek Sharma caught by David at long-off. He then had Heinrich Klaasen caught by the same fielder at long-on after having been struck for two fours and as many sixes by the SRH wicketkeeper-batter off the previous four deliveries.

"The Mumbai Indians are feeling a slight shortage of spinners but Piyush Chawla is not letting them feel that" - Amol Muzumdar

Piyush Chawla is the Mumbai Indians' highest wicket-taker in IPL 2023 thus far. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Muzumdar added that Chawla has made up for the lack of depth in the Mumbai Indians' spin department to a certain extent, saying:

"The Mumbai Indians are feeling a slight shortage of spinners but Piyush Chawla is not letting them feel that. That is the big thing."

Irfan Pathan criticized Klaasen for throwing away his wicket at a crucial juncture, elaborating:

"Klaasen is a South African international player. He had scored more than 20 runs in those five balls. His job there was to take a single off the last ball and then his (Chawla's) spell was also ending."

The former Indian all-rounder added:

"He could have shown his experience but he didn't do that. I feel the SunRisers Hyderabad were made to pay for this in the end. If Klaasen had played one or two more overs, the result of the match might have been different."

Heinrich Klaasen against Piyush Chawla:

4,6,6,4,W.

End of an entertaining knock from Klaasen! https://t.co/NoNXhWwmRk

SRH needed 87 runs off 42 balls before the start of Chawla's final over. Klaasen brought the equation down to 66 off 37 with his assault on the MI leg-spinner but his dismissal once again gave the visiting team the upper hand, which they never relinquished and sealed a crucial win.