Name: Piyush Chawla
Piyush Chawla is an Indian cricketer who has represented the national team in all three formats of the game. He is a right-arm leg-spin bowler known for his accurate bowling.
Hailing from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, Chawla's love for cricket blossomed at a tender age. He began his cricketing journey by representing Uttar Pradesh in various age-group tournaments, quickly establishing himself as a promising leg-spinner. His impressive performances at the junior level earned him a spot in the India Under-19 team.
He made his first-class debut for Uttar Pradesh in 2005 and his international debut in 2006 when he was selected for the Indian team's tour of England. He made his Test debut in the same year against England and has since played a total of 3 Test matches for India, claiming 7 wickets.
He made his ODI debut in 2008 against Pakistan and has played 25 ODIs for India, taking 28 wickets with an economy rate of 4.77. His most significant contribution, however, has been in T20 cricket, where he has represented India in 25 matches, claiming 28 wickets with an impressive economy rate of 6.86.
Chawla signed a one-month contract with the Sussex County Cricket Club in 2009. He got eight wickets in his debut County Championship encounter against Worcestershire. He batted ninth in the opening innings and made 102* off of just 86 balls.
Chawla was chosen to play in the West Indies in the 2010 ICC World Twenty20. He was also a part of the Indian team that won the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.
In December 2012, he made a comeback to play his third Test match at Nagpur against England, where the hosts had fielded four spinners: Chawla, debutant Ravindra Jadeja, Pragyan Ojha, and Ravichandran Ashwin. This was his third Test match in four years. Chawla finished the first innings with 4/69. In August 2013, Chawla made a comeback to English county cricket when he signed on as an overseas player for Somerset for the final five weeks of the season.
With 32 wickets in six games, he was Gujarat's top wicket-taker in the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy season 2018–19, he led Gujarat in wickets with sixteen in eight games.
Piyush Chawla has been a regular in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since its inception in 2008. He was initially signed by Kings XI Punjab in the inaugural IPL season, where he took 17 wickets in 14 matches. In 2011, he was acquired by the Mumbai Indians, but his stint with them was brief as he played only 3 matches, taking 2 wickets.
Chawla's most successful IPL stint was with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He joined them in 2012 and was a vital member of their title-winning squads in 2012 and 2014. In the 2012 season, he was KKR's leading wicket-taker, claiming 13 wickets in 17 matches.
He continued his impressive form in 2014, taking 13 wickets in 15 matches. Overall, Chawla picked up 84 wickets in 92 matches for KKR during his six-year stint with the franchise.
After leaving KKR, he had a brief stint with the now-defunct Gujarat Lions in 2016 and 2017, playing 13 matches and taking 10 wickets.
Chawla joined the Chennai Super Kings for 2018, 2019, and 2020 seasons but had limited opportunities.
In 2021 Chawla returned to the Mumbai Indians squad, where he continues to be part of their squad, albeit with limited game time. Unfortunately for the 2022 IPL season, Chawla went unsold at the Auction. However, for the 2023 season, he was bought again by the Mumbai Indians.
At 34 years old, Piyush Chawla continues to ply his trade in domestic and T20 cricket. He remains an active participant in the IPL, having been a part of the Mumbai Indians squad in recent seasons