"Piyush Chawla's wicket-taking software is amazing" - Former Indian cricketer on MI's veteran spinner ahead of Eliminator vs LSG

Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has hailed Mumbai Indians (MI) wrist-spinner Piyush Chawla for the incredible IPL 2023 season that he has been having.

Chawla has a staggering 20 wickets in 14 games at an economy rate of 7.81 and has arguably been one of the biggest reasons why Mumbai are in the playoffs. Harbhajan shed light on how Chawla went unsold in the previous year's mega auction and how he has now proved his doubters wrong.

Speaking on Star Sports Studio, Harbhajan Singh cited the example of Piyush Chawla and stressed the importance of experience. He said:

"Piyush Chawla's wicket-taking software is amazing. This guy is awesome. He has troubled the veterans of every team with his spin. I am very happy for this player because, in the last season, he was not considered useful by any team.

"This season it has told every team that there is no replacement for experience. There is no match for this player."

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Yusuf Pathan hails LSG for backing Nicholas Pooran ahead of eliminator vs MI

Former Indian cricketer Yusuf Pathan was also present in the discussion and he credited Gautam Gambhir and the coaching staff at the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for backing Nicholas Pooran to come good.

The West Indian southpaw wasn't consistent in the IPL, but he has arguably justified his whopping INR 16 crore price tag with some incredibly consistent performances this season. On this, Yusuf stated:

"Gautam Gambhir showed his faith in Nicholas Pooran's potential. Nicholas Pooran is finally proving his mettle in IPL in this tournament because of the backing and support from LSG team management."

Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif praised stand-in skipper Krunal Pandya for helping LSG get to the playoffs in the absence of the injured KL Rahul. He added:

"Credit to Krunal Pandya for rotating his bowlers well. It was the highest quality of spin bowling from LSG against KKR. Hats off to the spinners for bowling with courage in the middle overs and under tough situations. Good signs for them ahead of Playoffs as Chepauk is good for spinners."

With the Eliminator to be played in Chennai, it could well boil down to who wins the battle between Mumbai's batters and Lucknow's spinners.