He has troubled the veterans of every team with his spin: Harbhajan Singh

The five-time champions, Mumbai Indians, are all set to lock horns with the Lucknow super giants in the eliminator of the IPL 2023, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai. Interestingly enough, MI started rather in a dismal manner in the tournament but later on, picked up important wins with consistency which led them to the playoffs in what turned out to be a tougher route. And while doing so, one man who stood up and delivered for the Mumbai-based franchise has been none other than the veteran leg spin wizard, Piyush Chawla.

Notably, the Chepauk pitch is known for favouring the spinners, hence the spinners of both sides will play a crucial role in the game. Therefore Chawla may turn out to be the 'X' factor for MI. Speaking of his performances in the ongoing IPL 2023 so far, Chawla has scalped 20 wickets from 14 appearances for MI. It is his bowling prowess which has helped Mumbai Indians, especially in the middle stages of the game by maintaining pressure on the opposition at one end. In the same vein, the former Indian Cricketers Harbhajan Singh and Mohammad Kaif lavished praise on the 34-year-old, whose impeccable wicket-taking abilities helped the Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians to make it to the playoffs stage.

The former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan hailed the MI stalwart for the incredible run with the ball this season. Moreover, he went on to compare Piyush Chawla to computer software which is just programmed to take wickets at will. Additionally, Singh stressed the fact that experience is something irreplaceable and cannot be ignored by teams.

He was not considered useful by any team: Kaif

"Piyush Chawla's wicket-taking software is amazing. This guy is awesome. He has troubled the veterans of every team with his spin. I am very happy for this player because, in the last season, he was not considered useful by any team. This season it has told every team that there is no replacement for experience," Harbhajan Singh told Star Sports. 

Former Indian Cricketer Mohammad Kaif also chimed in and agreed with the Turbanator. Kaif deemed Chawla a champion bowler and pointed out his special skill of taking wickets right from the word go. Furthermore, the legendary fielder also said that the leg spinner can outfox any batter on any type of wicket he gets to bowl on.

"Chawla has taken half of the wickets that Mumbai has taken so far. This is a champion bowler. As if taking wickets on the very first ball in every match has become his habit. Chawla has proved that there is no substitute for experience. He has stability in his deliveries and has been impressive on all types of wickets. His impact this season has been solid."

LSG finished third in the IPL 2023 points table with 17 points from 14 matches. They trailed the second-placed Chennai Super Kings only because of a lower net run rate, and they will now face MI in the elimination match in Chennai. MI defeated SRH to finish fourth in the IPL 2023 points table with 16 points from 14 games.