Indian pace bowler Arshdeep Singh has come under fire for his poor form in the current season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 27-year-old bowled four overs and conceded 68 runs and took the solitary wicket of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. In the eight games this season, Singh has picked just eight wickets.
Former India and Punjab Kings spin bowler Piyush Chawla has warned the pacer over his form. The 37-year-old made these statements to ESPN Cricinfo while analysing the PBKS vs RR match that took place on Tuesday night. Chawla said, “One or two games, you can expect him (Arshdeep) to do badly, but this is happening most of the time.”
The former IPL winner also added, “It is a cause for concern, because if you look at the larger picture, such a performance in the playoff game can affect the team.” Rajasthan Royals’ win meant that Punjab saw their unbeaten start to the current campaign end in front of their home fans.
Lack of consistency by Indian pacer leaves ex-IPL champ worried
In his chat with Cricinfo, the retired spinner mentioned: “He is a bowler who is known for his wicket-taking abilities. When he picks wickets with the new ball, he tends to bowl well.” Chawla then gave the example of Arshdeep’s 3/22 versus the Mumbai Indians this season, which is the pacer’s best bowling effort so far.
“This season, his economy rate is almost 11 runs per over. Understandably, he is bowling in the powerplay as well as the death overs, but he is Punjab’s premium bowler.”
Sooryavanshi went after India’s highest wicket-taker in the T20 format early in the chase that tilted the game in favour of the visiting side.
Shreyas Iyer-led side hoping for a turnaround
After the loss on Tuesday, the Kings will train their focus on the next match, which is set to be an away encounter. Iyer and his team will travel to Ahmedabad to take on Shubman Gill and his Gujarat Titans side on 3rd May. This will be followed by yet another away game against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
This was the last game of the season for Punjab at the Mullanpur stadium, as they next move to Dharamshala for their home fixtures. IPL 2025 finalists will hope that their pacers pull up their socks and put this bad performance behind them with the knockout phase looming.
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