Mumbai: Speaking exclusively on Kuhl Fans Match Centre Live on JioHotstar, JioStar expert Piyush Chawla shared his insights on Mumbai Indians’ comprehensive victory over Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s crucial win against Delhi Capitals. Piyush delved deep into standout performances, game-turning moments, and the overall team strategies at play.
Speaking exclusively on Kuhl Fans Match Centre Live on JioHotstar, JioStar expert Piyush Chawla spoke on Mumbai Indians’ dominant win over Lucknow Super Giants:
“If you see the number of match winners Mumbai Indians have in their squad, you start right from the beginning till number 11. Ryan Rickelton — the knock that he played today — we know Rohit Sharma, what he has done in the last two games. Today, Bumrah with the ball, Will Jacks came in, and he provided those two crucial wickets. So, I think things are falling in place; whatever Hardik is doing, it’s happening for the team, and that’s what this team is all about. You have so many match winners in that playing XI. Today, Jasprit Bumrah came in as an impact player and what impact he has left on the game! So that’s why this team is on a roll, and when Mumbai Indians are on a roll, every other team should be scared of them.”
Piyush Chawla on Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s complete performance against Delhi Capitals:
“RCB is playing fantastic cricket, and you have to give credit to the team. Because you talk about their bowling and batting, we saw what Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) is capable of with the old ball as well. Those two overs were very crucial, picking those crucial wickets. And when it comes to chasing on a tricky surface, you have to credit Virat Kohli and Krunal Pandya — the way they staged that partnership. At one point in time, they were so much under pressure, but they kept taking it deep. Especially Krunal Pandya — taking those calculated risks and playing those big shots when needed, and he made sure that the required run rate stayed under control. So, the team is looking fantastic, and the way they’re playing, everything is contributing to the cause, and that’s why they’re winning everything away from home.”
Piyush Chawla on Krunal Pandya’s innings:
“Krunal is somebody who plays spinners well, and that’s why he becomes more dangerous in that middle phase. It was a difficult wicket to bat on — even Virat mentioned that it was a tricky surface — and that’s why you have to give a lot of credit to Krunal. The way he batted, took responsibility, and took calculated chances — it really paid off. First, he took those 30-odd balls to settle in, and after that, the way he accelerated was just fantastic.”
Piyush Chawla on Virat Kohli’s innings:
“No matter how Virat has scored his 50 runs, what’s important is getting those crucial two points in the points table. RCB wanted somebody to anchor the innings — the score wasn’t that big — and especially after losing three wickets, you need someone to anchor and not lose too many wickets from one end, so the others can revolve around you. That’s exactly what Virat has done. Those 51 runs were as crucial as those slog overs by Bhuvi. Virat calculates those 160–170 chases so well and gives the team a great platform to chase.”
Piyush Chawla on Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s death bowling:
“If you see the way Bhuvi bowled those last overs, he didn’t give any pace. He used that old ball to very good effect, making sure he’s not giving away too many runs — those two overs, where he just conceded eight runs, were crucial. Imagine if he had given away around 20-22 runs, chasing 180+ would have been a huge difference. You will not see that aggressive fast bowling from Bhuvi, but he made sure he’s doing the job for the team whenever he plays.”
