'They got Piyush Chawla, a very experienced campaigner' - Parthiv Patel on spinner's importance for Mumbai Indians

The Mumbai Indians (MI) will once again be the team to beat in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Rohit Sharma led side won their 5^th IPL title in 2020 by beating the Delhi Capitals (DC) side in the final.

And, in the 2021 edition of the IPL, the Mumbai outfit will not be playing even a single IPL match at the Wankhede stadium. But then, Parthiv Patel felt that this will not affect the Mumbai side. Patel was of the view that the only concern for the Mumbai outfit going into the 14th IPL edition was the lack of an experienced spinner.

The former Indian wicket-keeper felt that the addition of Piyush Chawla in the Mumbai squad is a very handy one as the leg spinner brings with him a wealth of experience.

“I don’t think it is a disadvantage for Mumbai Indians, because, if you look at the Mumbai Indians squad last year, there was only one thing which everyone could notice – they didn’t have an experienced spinner. They have Krunal Pandya and Rahul Chahar, but they needed someone experienced, and that’s what Mumbai Indians did in this auction. They got Piyush Chawla, a very experienced campaigner in IPL,” said Patel on the Cricket Connected show.

Mumbai have covered all bases reckons Parthiv Patel

Patel further opined that Chawla exactly knows how to bowl on the pitches in Chennai. Stating that the Mumbai side has all the bases covered, Patel concluded by saying that even after winning the tournament last year, a champion side like Mumbai still looked to fill spots in their squad.

“He knows how to bowl on Chennai wickets or on slow and low wickets. So, I think Mumbai Indians have covered all the bases. It depends on where they are playing so it won’t be a disadvantage. That’s what champions can do, even after winning a tournament they try and fill spots and that’s exactly what Mumbai Indians have done,” concluded Parthiv Patel.

The Mumbai side will play their first match of the 2021 IPL edition on 9^th April 2021 at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai. Having won the last 2 editions of the IPL, the Mumbai side will be looking to win a hat trick of IPL titles in the 2021 edition.