IPL 2022: "He'll take all the pressure on himself" - Piyush Chawla names the "very valuable" Delhi Capitals player for crucial clash vs Punjab Kings

Piyush Chawla has termed Delhi Capitals opener David Warner a "very valuable" player for their decisive IPL 2022 encounter against Punjab Kings on Monday. The spinner-turned-analyst argued that Warner's "superb game sense" and his ability to soak in all the pressure is exactly what any team wants in big matches.

Warner has scored 427 runs in 10 matches at an average of 61 and is currently competing for the IPL Orange Cap with players who have played more games than him. The Australian left-hander's impact has been such that in five of the six matches that he has scored more than 40+ runs, his IPL team has won the game.

With the Capitals now preparing to face the Punjab Kings in almost a must-win match, all eyes will once again be on Warner. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Chawla said the expectations are valid because of Warner's consistency, adding that even against the Kings, he'll be on the frontline.

Chawla said:

"Whenever he goes to bat, there are always expectations from David Warner because the kind of batter he is, he plays the situation, not the match. He bats how the team needs him to. Against Hyderabad, he batted from the first till the last over to score those extremely crucial 92 runs. In the last match, when Mitchell Marsh took the role of the aggressor, he stepped back and played the anchor."

He added:

"So his game sense is superb. That's why he'll be very valuable in this match because he will play the big innings, holding one end for his team. He'll take all the pressure on himself and give others the chance to come and score quickly."

Warner also has an excellent record against the Mohali-based franchise. In 22 games, he has scored 1005 runs against them at an average of 52.89 (his best against all opponents with a minimum of six games) and a strike rate of 142.35.

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"Rahul Chahar has a better record against left-handed batters" - Piyush Chawla on battle vs Rishabh Pant

When asked about the Rahul Chahar vs Rishabh Pant battle, Piyush Chawla backed the former despite his middling season so far, saying:

"I know Rahul Chahar hasn't done as well as people expected him to but he has still bowled pretty well this season and also picked wickets. And if you talk about statistics, yes Rishabh plays spin really well we've all seen that but Rahul Chahar has a better record against left-handed batters than right-handed batters. So it will be a battle worth watching because he likes to attack and Rahul Chahar also likes to attack for wickets."

The highly anticipated clash will kick off at 7:30 pm at the DY Patil Sports Academy.