'He is very defensive in his mindset' - Yuzvendra Chahal criticized for lack of form in IPL 2025 for Punjab Kings

Yuzvendra Chahal, the highest wicket-taker in IPL history, was roped in by Punjab Kings at the mega auction for INR 18 crore, ahead of the 2025 season of the tournament. The Haryana leg-spinner has not been able to justify his price tag so far. In the five matches in the season, Chahal has been able to pick only two wickets, and his economy rate too has remained 11.13, compared to his career rate of just 7.92, which is a huge matter of concern.

Being the match winner he is, Chahal's inability to provide breakthroughs for PBKS has had Piyush Chawla and Wasim Jaffer opine their takes on how the mystery behind his lack of form can be solved. The duo further mentioned on how Chahal's return to form is crucial for Punjab Kings if they are to win their maiden title in the cash-rich league.

"He was just not trying to get the batter out. He was just trying to toss it wide and play more of a safe game, defensive bowling. That Yuzvendra Chahal we have not seen," the former PBKS spinner said via ESPNcricinfo, where he focussed on Chahal's most-recent outing against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday.

"Well, he created that chance, and you need at least one chance, and he created that one, and he has nobody to blame for that. He almost reached there, but apart from that… later on, when both the batters were going after him, I didn't find that Yuzvendra Chahal which we used to see a couple of years back and even till last year," Chawla added.

"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 Aligarh-born concluded in his statement.

He's the main puzzle that they need to solve: Jaffer

Jaffer, on the other hand, also gave his views on Chahal's concerning run of form with the ball in the IPL so far. He felt the deliveries the leg-spinner attempted to dismiss Travis Head had to be bowled often. Jaffer claimed Chahal wasn't spinning the ball, bowling googlies, or putting enough revs on the ball. He felt the defensive mindset was a clear sign of pressure. The former PBKS coach referred to Chahal as the 'main puzzle to be solved'. 

"I think the few deliveries that he bowled when he picked up Travis Head's wicket, that is what we need to see Yuzvendra Chahal bowl more often. You're looking to spin the ball, looking to bowl googly, looking to put some revs on the ball, which I think we are missing from watching Yuzi. He is very defensive in his mindset, and the pressure is pretty much visible on his face that, you know, he's off colour. But you know, for Punjab to become good, he's the main puzzle that they need to solve," Jaffer claimed.