Shreyas Iyer Slammed By Ex-India Star For Yuzvendra Chahal Snub As PBKS Lose vs DC

Published: 14 May 2026 at 16:04 Reading time: ~ 4 min. Comments: 0

Another IPL 2026 match, another tense finish, and once again the Punjab Kings leave the field empty-handed. On Monday at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala, Shreyas Iyer’s side couldn’t defend 210. Delhi Capitals got the result they needed by three wickets with six balls to spare. Shreyas Iyer Slammed By Ex-India Star For Yuzvendra Chahal Snub As PBKS Lose vs DC. The most experienced foreign player, a spin specialist, a man who knows how to snatch the game from the opponent’s hands, sat in anticipation the entire match.

Shreyas Iyer Slammed By Ex-India Star For Yuzvendra Chahal Snub As PBKS Lose vs DC: what the experts say

Former Indian batsman Abhinav Mukund discussed the situation on the Time Out show. In his opinion, the moment for Chahal was perfect—overs seven through fifteen. When Axar Patel and Tristan Stubbs were just starting to build up the innings after quick losses, that’s when the spinner needed to be turned on. Yes, Mukund admits, in conditions where Miller and Axar are already warming up on the other side, it is not easy for the captain to decide on such a step. But if he’s going to take a risk, it should be in the seventh over.

He also added an interesting thought: Punjab had an advantage on the scoreboard—210. Even if Chahal had given away 18–20 runs in the first over, it wouldn’t have been a disaster. In such a situation, you can and should try to take the wicket at any cost. Personally, Mukund would have tried spin between the seventh and tenth overs. And if things really don’t work out, there’s always Stoinis as a backup option.

But the criticism didn’t stop with one expert. Dodda Ganesh, another former Indian international, took a more emotional approach to the issue. His post on social media went viral: ” So Chahal doesn’t get the ball at all? To think that such a champion couldn’t force a mistake from a left-handed player is foolhardy,” Ganesh wrote. He went on to add: “In any case, he has a higher chance of taking a wicket than Stoinis. When will this stupid matchup game end?” The question is rhetorical, but very timely. It seems that modern tactical calculations sometimes go beyond common sense.

Mohammad Kaif was the third to join this chorus of indignation. He was surprised not only by Punjab’s decision but also by the strange symmetry: Delhi also didn’t use any of the spinners. And yet, DC has Axar Patel in their lineup — who is far from a newcomer. “It’s surprising that neither Delhi nor Punjab used a single spinner in Dharamshala,” Kaif wrote. “Stats from 2023 show that spinners have better fuel efficiency than pacers at this stadium.”

Shreyas Iyer Slammed By Ex-India Star For Yuzvendra Chahal Snub As PBKS Lose vs DC: captain’s explained

Shreyas Iyer finally answered a reporter’s question after the match. He admitted that the idea of releasing Chahal was there, but, according to him, the ball was seaming – making such a movement that the pacers had the most freedom. ” If we had executed the line and length accurately, we would have been able to take wickets,” Iyer explained. “But unfortunately, we failed again.” And here a difficulty arises that must be acknowledged: on the one hand, the captain sees that the ball is behaving capriciously and wants to take advantage of the pitch. On the other, the result speaks for itself. Punjab’s Pacers were running at full tilt: Marcus Stoinis, Yash Thakur, Ben Duarshuis, and Marco Jansen each scored more than 11 runs per over. And Chahal, with his career average efficiency of around 8, remained on the bench.

And this is what it all led to. Delhi were losing 38/3 after five overs—it seemed like this was the moment for the spinner to finish the game. But it wasn’t to be. Axar Patel (56) and David Miller (51) calmly restored the situation. And when the finishing touches were needed, debutant Madhav Tiwari came onto the field and with 18 runs from eight balls, he finished off the hosts.

Shreyas Iyer Slammed By Ex-India Star For Yuzvendra Chahal Snub As PBKS Lose vs DC, the captain’s decision is justified. But in T20, where one over can turn the game around, not fielding a specialist capable of performing miracles is a strange decision. After all, 18-20 extra runs in the seventh over is not a death sentence. But a missed wicket by Axar or Miller could have prevented Delhi Capitals from winning.