Yuzvendra Chahal Attracts Scathing Backlash Following Underwhelming IPL 2025 Performance

Yuzvendra Chahal's performance during the 2025 season of the IPL has been abysmal till date, and this has drawn piercing criticism from cricket experts as well as spectators. Punjab Kings bowler Chahal was picked up at a handsome price tag of Rs 18 crore but could not quite deliver. Chahal has picked up merely two wickets from five games, and his economy rate of 11.13 has again made his display disappointing.

The recent performances of Chahal have been poor, particularly in the key phases of the game. His inability to provide quality bowling has raised concerns among several cricketing personalities. Wasim Jaffer, a retired India cricketer, expressed the view that Chahal's bowling has been defensive in nature. Jaffer stated that for Chahal to improve, he must practice to spin the ball, use his googlies, and generate more revs on the ball. Jaffer explained that these are the qualities lacking in Chahal's game this season. He feels Chahal's frame of mind now is too defensive in nature, and the pressure can be witnessed on his face, impacting his form.

Adding to the criticism, Ex-India spinner Piyush Chawla joining Jaffer in stating so opined that Chahal needed to concentrate on bowling more googlies. Chawla opined that Chahal had not been employing his googly, a ball which could potentially turn the game around. He said that the worst of Chahal's performances this season could be the reason he wasn't using this ball as much. If more googlies get to be bowled by Chahal, he will have a greater chance of more wickets, particularly if the ball is nicely outside off-stump.

Even the Punjab Kings' team performance has been tasteless. There was a record-breaking batting effort where they accumulated a humongous 245/6, but when it comes to bowling, they were behind. In their latest defeat at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Kings were defeated by eight wickets when Hyderabad chased down the target quite easily with nine balls remaining in hand. Punjab Kings had big expectations of rising up the IPL 2025 table after having won three of their initial four games but the defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad has sucked the steam out of their campaign.

Their spin-bowling coach, Sunil Joshi, commented on the loss that the team had chances in the high-scoring match but did not utilize them. The remarks by Joshi show that the team knows the areas that they should work on, and that is their bowling attack. Although the batting of the team was good, the inability of the bowlers, including Chahal, to support the batsmen has seen the team losing some games.

Chahal's poor performance has sparked doubts regarding whether he can play under pressure. As an experienced spinner, Chahal has been a part of past IPL seasons, but his performances in the last season have been poor. As the expensive price tag is attached to him, the fans and critics were keen to see much better from him in the current season. His failure to dismantle alliances or stop the run flow has placed additional pressure on Punjab Kings, who are now left with the hope that Chahal will recover and establish his rhythm.

In summary, Yuzvendra Chahal's IPL 2025 season has not been so poor. His inability to take wickets, defensive approach, and failure to produce his signature googly have all been responsible for his poor performance. Although the team has been great with their batting, the inability of their bowlers, especially Chahal, to deliver has been holding back their overall progress. If Chahal can flip the switch on and go back to his habitual ways with his bowling by choosing a better tactic, then there is still hope for him to redeem himself and justify his costly tag.