Yuzvendra Chahal can face issues against SRH.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) have operated with only one spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal, so far in IPL 2026. He has done reasonably well in both games he has bowled in, with three wickets at 16.33 runs apiece and an economy rate of 7. However, he might face issues against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
For starters, SRH have an all-LHB top-three, and all of them are brutal against leg-spin. Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head have a strike rate of 322.22 and 236.36, respectively, with one dismissal each against leg-spinners this year. Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan has been dismissed thrice, but strikes at a whopping 226.41 and hits a boundary every 2.40 deliveries.
Yuzvendra Chahal’s record against LHBs hasn’t been too great either: 3 wickets, 67 average, & 11.40 economy. So, his powerplay introduction pretty much goes out of question in this game. During the field restrictions, he won’t be able to control the flow of runs at all against negative matchups.
The problem for Chahal and Punjab Kings is that SRH have solid spin players even in the middle order. Heinrich Klaasen has had issues with spin, but leg-spinners have still been his strong area during his lean patch. Since last year, Klaasen has had a strike rate of 169.29 and been dismissed only thrice against this bowling type.
Against Chahal, he has struck at 212.50 across 64 deliveries, even though he has been dismissed three times in the process. However, Klaasen still holds the upper hand against the leg-spinner and won’t have too many issues, having faced him multiple times before. Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar Reddy is a certified spin-hitter and has regained his form.
The only possible positive matchup for the Punjab Kings spinner is Liam Livingstone, who has simply failed to get going against all types of spin this year. Chahal has also removed him once, and the batter had struck at just 94.44. He struggled on a slightly tricky pitch against LSG in the previous game.
So, overall, Yuzvendra Chahal alone won’t be enough for PBKS in this game and needs to be shielded against most of them. There are chances of him conceding big runs on what’s expected to be a flat deck in Mullanpur. Since Cooper Connolly doesn’t bowl, the Kings might need to bring in another specialist spinner for this game.
Surprisingly, Punjab Kings don’t have an off-spinner in their squad, even though they have left-arm spinners and wrist spinners. That could put them into trouble against SRH. Arshdeep Singh’s powerplay form has been poor, and with a lack of off-spinners, who could trouble the opponent’s top-order, PBKS are in for a massive threat against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
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They have Harpreet Brar, who could come in for one of Vijaykumar Vyshak or Xavier Bartlett, but he might also be as vulnerable as Chahal against the top order. However, PBKS can still use him against the likes of Liam Livingstone and Heinrich Klaasen in the middle overs. As mentioned, Livingstone has spin issues, while Klaasen’s regression against spin impacted his proficiency against left-arm spin the most.
Since last year, his strike rate has been just 113.13, and the balls-per-boundary ratio has risen to 9.78 against this bowling type. Harpreet has dismissed him once. So, he might still be a better option than Chahal against Klaasen.
Ideally, Punjab Kings would have wanted an off-spinner to target the SRH top-three, who have obvious issues against the spinning ball going away from them. They will rely on left-arm pacers and Bartlett to do the job with the new ball. However, this is a day game, and if the ball doesn’t move enough, PBKS will feel the absence of an off-spin option in the powerplay.
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