When asked if veteran leg-spinner Piyush Chawla will make his debut for Mumbai Indians, Zaheer Khan said the move is being considered.
Follow Us
Mumbai Indians Director of Cricket Operations Zaheer Khan hinted at the possible bowling line up. He gave hints about MI’s Playing XI against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their second match.
When asked if veteran leg-spinner Piyush Chawla will make his debut for Mumbai Indians, Khan said the move is being considered. While there is no concrete decision on this, there are substantial chances.
“Krunal bowled fantastically in the last game. Rahul Chahar is coming on his own. We also have experience in Piyush Chawla,” Khan said.
“Piyush Chawla’s experience will be valuable to us, going ahead in the tournament,” he added.
The biggest problem MI face is the absence of a spinner and was evident in the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Lack of a wicket-taking spin bowler hurt their prospects against Virat Kohli’s side.
Left-arm spinner Krunal had a decent outing against RCB, and took a wicket while conceding 25 runs. Rahul Chahar, the costliest bowler in the match was also a cause of concern for Rohit Sharma. This is where Chawla should come in. The leggie has 156 wickets in the tournament, the third-highest for any bowler in IPL history.
Zaheer Khan also confirmed that Quinton de Kock and Adam Milne could be a part of the squad against KKR. “Quinton is out of his quarantine, he did his practice session yesterday with the team. Looking forward to the season, he will be available for tomorrow’s game,” he said.
De Kock had missed the first game since he was in a mandatory week-long quarantine.
Mumbai had Chris Lynn as Rohit’s opener.. In his first game for Mumbai, he scored an impressive 49 off 35 balls. If De Kock is rested for another game, MI could play with Lynn. “Chris Lynn is a great character to have in the dressing room,” Khan told media.
Speaking at a press conference before the match, Zaheer said that Mumbai Indians see Kieron Pollard as their sixth bowler and also expect Hardik Pandya to contribute some.
“Pollard is our sixth bowling option. He is an experienced campaigner in our squad. Also, Hardik too joins the fray whenever he resumes…Hardik as a whole package is of great value. You will see him bowl very soon,” Zaheer Khan said at the press conference.
