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IPL 2026: Chahal Is Very Smart, Taking Out Gill And Buttler Came At Right Time, Says Kumble

Yuzvendra Chahal: Legendary India leg-spinner Anil Kumble praised Yuzvendra Chahals tactical nous in helping Punjab Kings beat Gujarat Titans by three wickets in IPL 2026, adding that his taking out Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler came at the right time for the side to start their campaign on a high. Chahals spell of 2-28, along with Vijaykumar Vyshaks 3-34, ensured PBKS kept GT to 162/8, which they chased down with five balls to spare. Yuzvendra Chahal is very smart. He changes his line, length, varies his speeds, you name it. He didnt try too many variations in terms of how he set up the batter. He kept bowling slightly wider and was very smart in that sense. He looked at the conditions and then aimed for the bigger side of the ground. He knew that if someone had to take him on that side, they had to connect really well, which they couldnt. He got a wicket, and those wickets of Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler came at the right time for Punjab Kings, because Gill was looking good to capitalise on a strong start. Unfortunately for GT, their usual approach of having one batter anchor through 15 overs, which generally gives them an advantage, didnt quite work out, said Kumble on JioHotstar. Kumble also questioned GTs use of pacer Prasidh Krishna, who was introduced only in the 13th over, saying the Purple Cap holder from last years season should have been bowled earlier in the innings. It was very surprising that the Gujarat Titans brought in Prasidh Krishna, the Purple Cap holder, only in the 13th over. The first one, of course, was a lucky breakthrough. Shreyas Iyer had been hit on the hand a couple of balls earlier, so maybe there was a loss in concentration. Kumble also questioned GTs use of pacer Prasidh Krishna, who was introduced only in the 13th over, saying the Purple Cap holder from last years season should have been bowled earlier in the innings. Also Read: Live Cricket Score You cant hold him back like that, and thats why the last over of Prasidh Krishna went for 14 runs. For GTs sake, Prasidh should have possibly bowled at least one over between the 6th and 10th overs, because he was ideally suited to that surface, he added. Article Source: IANS