[Watch] Piyush Chawla dismisses Vijay Shankar with a spectacular googly in the MI-GT clash
Mumbai Indians (MI) spinner Piyush Chawla produced a moment of magic by dismissing Gujarat Titans (GT) all-rounder Vijay Shankar in the first ball after the powerplay at the Wankede Stadium on Friday, May 12.
After the Titans were rocked early in a stiff run-chase of 219 runs by some incisive bowling from Jason Behrendorff and Akash Madhwal, Shankar counter-attacked brilliantly to score 29 off 13 deliveries.
However, he was left bamboozled by a sensational googly by Chawla, beating his defense to spin back in and hit the top of the off-stump.
Here is a video of the dismissal:
Shankar's dismissal further dented GT's hope as they were reduced to 48/4 in 6.1 overs, with another 171 runs needed for victory.
Piyush Chawla has been in magnificent form this season for MI, picking up 17 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 18.88 and an economy rate of 7.47 runs per over. He has been MI's leading wicket-taker this season and the go-to bowler for skipper Rohit Sharma.
Chawla is the third leading wicket-taker in IPL history, picking up 174 wickets in 177 games at an average of 26.56. He has represented the Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, and the Mumbai Indians.
Earlier in the game, MI posted a daunting 218/5 on the board on the back of a sparkling knock by Suryakumar Yadav, scoring 103 off 49 deliveries with eleven 4s and six 6s.
"I just came with a pretty relaxed mindset, just wanted to enjoy the cricket " - Piyush Chawla on his success this season
Mumbai Indians spinner Piyush Chawla spoke about his relaxed mindset coming into this season as the key reason for his successful campaign. The veteran is fifth on the Purple Cap list with 17 wickets in 11 matches.
Speaking ahead of the Titans clash, Chawla said:
"To be honest I'm enjoying my cricket a lot this year. I came in here because last year I missed out. I just came with a pretty relaxed mindset, just wanted to enjoy the cricket and follow my strengths because that's the best thing you can do when you come and play at a pitch like Wankhede."
He also believes the Impact Player rule has increased the pressure on the bowlers.
"There are a lot of 200+ scores because the wickets are really good this season. With the impact player rule when you have one extra batter in. So generally when you get 4 wickets a new batter comes in, he takes his time for 2-3 overs but nowadays these things are not happening.
"He comes to bat, he knows there are other 2 main batters to follow so they just go right from the ball one. So it has become a little difficult but that's a new challenge for the bowling unit as well now."
Coming into the GT clash, MI had won three of their last four games and are currently fourth in the points table with six wins and five losses.
They will look to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since their title run in 2020.