June 7, 2025
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Piyush Chawla

Piyush Chawla announces retirement from all forms of cricket, says ‘time has come to bid adieu to beautiful game’

Piyush Chawla announces retirement from all forms of cricket, says ‘time has come to bid adieu to beautiful game’

Danijones04 mins

File photo of Piyush Chawla | Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji Veteran leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, who was part of India’s two World Cup-winning campaigns, on Friday announced his retirement from all forms of cricket after a career spanning more than two decades to undertake a “new journey” that he did not specify. The 36-year-old made the announcement via an Instagram post. “After more than two decades on the field, the time has come to bid adieu to the beautiful game,” Chawla wrote. “Though I step away from the crease, cricket will always live within me. I now look forward to embarking on a new journey, carrying with me the spirit and lessons of this beautiful game,” he said. Chawla was a member of India’s T20 and ODI World Cup-winning squads in 2007 and 2011 respectively. He represented India in three Tests, 25 ODIs, and seven T20Is, taking 43 wickets across the three formats of the game. “From representing India at the highest level to being part of the victorious 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup squads, every moment in this incredible journey has been nothing short of a blessing. These memories will forever remain etched in my heart,” Chawla said in the post. He thanked his coaches, teams and IPL franchises for playing a part in shaping his career, and described his time in the popular T20 league as “a special chapter in my career.” “A heartfelt thank you to the IPL franchises who placed their trust in me – Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, and Mumbai Indians. “The Indian Premier League has been a truly special chapter in my career, and I have cherished every moment playing in it. I owe my deepest gratitude to my coaches – Shri K.K. Gautam and Late Shri Pankaj Saraswat-for nurturing and shaping me into the cricketer I became,” he said. “Today is a deeply emotional day for me as I officially announce my retirement from all forms of international and domestic cricket,” he added. The leg-spinner was a part of KKR’s 2014 IPL-winning team and hit the winning runs for the Gautam Gambhir-led side in the summit clash against the Punjab Kings in Bengaluru. “A special mention to my late father, whose belief in me lit the path I walked. Without him, this journey would never have been possible,” he stated. Chawla made his competitive cricket debut at 15, and also represented India Under-19 and Uttar Pradesh Under-22 sides. He burst onto the scene when he bowled Sachin Tendulkar with a googly in the Challenger Series 2005-06, and made his his first-class debut at 17. Chawla has over 1000 wickets across formats in domestic cricket. Published – June 06, 2025 03:20 pm IST

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'A pat on the back': Hardik Pandya's stellar performance earns praise from Rohit Sharma | Cricket News

‘A pat on the back’: Hardik Pandya’s stellar performance earns praise from Rohit Sharma | Cricket News

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NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians showcased their dominance against Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL encounter on Monday, with captain Hardik Pandya emerging as a standout performer with the ball. Pandya’s stellar performance drew praise from former captain Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians secured a crucial victory at the Wankhede Stadium.The special moment came in the 16th over of the SRH innings when Hardik Pandya delivered a crucial breakthrough for the hosts by dismissing Sunrisers’ all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed. Hardik Pandya celebrates a wicket with Rohit Sharma. (Video grab) In an attempt to accelerate the scoring, Shahbaz attempted to dispatch the delivery towards the long-on region but failed to connect cleanly. The ball spiraled up in the air, only to be safely pouched by Suryakumar Yadav, who executed a commendable catch running in from the deep.Rohit Sharma, quick to acknowledge the significance of Pandya’s contribution, approached the bowler with a congratulatory pat on the back, commending his crucial breakthrough at a crucial juncture of the game. Throughout the middle overs, Hardik Pandya led the Mumbai Indians’ bowling attack with aplomb, ultimately finishing with impressive figures of 3 wickets for 31 runs in his allotted four overs. Supported ably by veteran spinner Piyush Chawla, who also claimed three wickets, Mumbai Indians succeeded in restricting Sunrisers Hyderabad to a total of 173 for 8 in their allotted 20 overs.With a target of 174 runs set before them, Mumbai Indians approached the chase with confidence, largely propelled by a scintillating unbeaten innings of 102 off 51 balls from Suryakumar Yadav. Displaying remarkable batting prowess, Yadav’s innings guided Mumbai Indians to a comfortable victory, as they chased down the target with 16 balls to spare, ultimately securing a convincing 7-wicket win.

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IPL 2024: Why Rohit Sharma played as an impact sub in Mumbai Indians-Kolkata Knight Riders clash | Cricket News

IPL 2024: Why Rohit Sharma played as an impact sub in Mumbai Indians-Kolkata Knight Riders clash | Cricket News

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NEW DELHI: Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla stated that India captain and Mumbai Indians opener Rohit Sharma was compelled to play as an impact substitute in the IPL match against Kolkata Knight Riders because of a “mild back stiffness”.IPL ORANGE CAP | IPL PURPLE CAP | IPL POINTS TABLETheir 24-run defeat against KKR, in which Rohit was an impact substitute, saw him score just 11 runs in 12 balls in the second innings. This loss almost saw the five-time winners eliminated from the IPL this year.“He just had a mild back stiffness so it was just a precautionary thing,” Chawla told the media after the match here at the Wankhede Stadium.Mumbai’s eighth loss in 11 games has put an end to the Hardik Pandya-led team, and Chawla also acknowledged that their only remaining motivation is “pride”. “For the pride and the reputation, because sometimes when you enter on the field, you don’t think whether you are going to qualify or you are not going to qualify,” he said.“You have to play for your name and that’s what we are playing for,” he added.MI’s lack of momentum throughout this IPL season, according to Chawla, is the cause of their subpar play.“You must have often heard about that T20 is all about momentum and just that we didn’t get that momentum going this season and it can happen to any team,” he said. “It’s not like it’s happening to us for the first time or any other team for the second time. It can happen to anyone and it’s just that that momentum was not our way.”On Friday, the 35-year-old Chawla overtook Dwayne Bravo to claim 184 wickets, becoming him the second-highest wicket-taker in the IPL.“It has been a beautiful journey because IPL started 17 years back and at that time nobody gave that much preference to the spinners, but now if you see that in top few wicket takers in India, especially all the spinners, Ashwin, Yuzhi, myself (are there), so it’s a good feeling,” he said. In addition, Chawla commended Manish Pandey for his performance in his first game of the season despite being under pressure. As KKR scored 169 all out in 19.5 overs, Pandey (42) and Venkatesh Iyer (70) shared 83 runs for the sixth wicket.“It was a good partnership and credit has to go to them because they batted beautifully. Well, T20 is something in which experience plays a big role, (which is) what we saw today.“When Manish walked in, maybe if somebody walks in who must have played few games, he would have panicked that runs are not coming.“But he read the situation and the way he handled the situation because if you see in starting, he was hardly going at run a ball. But later on, he knew that he has to stand there with Venky.” (With PTI inputs)

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