Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has questioned the Punjab Kings (PBKS) for not including Yuzvendra Chahal in their playing XI for their IPL 2025 match against the Delhi Capitals (DC) as well. He wondered whether PBKS had moved away from him, or if it was a change for just one game as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, he said, “Will anyone explain what is happening? Gujarat lost to Lucknow, Bengaluru lost to Hyderabad, and Punjab lost to Delhi. What do you want? It’s absolute cinema. You (PBKS) were invited to bat first, and you reached 200 runs as well, in which Shreyas Iyer played very well, and Marcus Stoinis came in the end and hit a lot. 200 runs are not less.”
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“However, you allowed 200 runs to be chased. 200 runs were chased down, and that too easily. It’s not that eight wickets had fallen and Delhi were stuck. In bowling, they didn’t play Chahal this time, and they didn’t even tell why they didn’t play him. What happened? Why didn’t you play Yuzi Chahal? Have they pivoted away from him, or was it a contingency plan for one match?” he further added.
However, Aakash Chopra also stated that the Punjab Kings would have to post massive totals to compensate for their bowling weaknesses as well.
“Where are you going? The bowling is looking weak, which was a weakness earlier as well. It means you will have to score 225-230 while batting first because the bowling will only get weaker after this. Marco Jansen will go, and Kyle Jamieson will come in his place. He too is not a T20 rockstar bowler. He is more of an all-rounder,” he said.
“So, will you change your combination? You are playing Josh Inglis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marcus Stoinis and Marco Jansen. There are the four overseas. Suddenly, the bowling is looking weak. Harpreet Brar is doing his job, but you will have to play Yuzi Chahal, and he will have to do well, or else this bowling attack looks vulnerable,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
