Legendary Indian spinner Anil Kumble applauded Yuzvendra Chahal’s tactical decisions in helping Punjab Kings beat Gujarat Titans by three wickets in IPL 2026, adding that his dismissals of Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler helped them to begin their campaign on a high. Nevertheless, Chahal’s 2-28, together with Vijaykumar Vyshak’s 3-34, ensured PBKS restricted GT to 162/8, which they chased down with five balls in hand.
“Yuzvendra Chahal could be very smart. He alters his line, length, varies his speeds, you name it. He didn’t try too many variations by way of how he arrange the batter. He kept bowling barely wider and was very smart in that sense. He checked out the conditions after which aimed for the larger side of the bottom. He knew that if someone needed to take him on that side, they’d to attach rather well, which they couldn’t,” said Kumble on JioHotstar.
“He got a wicket, and people wickets of Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler got here at the correct time for Punjab Kings, because Gill was looking good to capitalise on a robust start. Unfortunately for GT, their usual approach of getting one batter anchor through 15 overs, which generally gives them a bonus, didn’t quite work out,” he again shared.
Nevertheless, Anil Kumble also questioned GT’s use of speedster Prasidh Krishna, who was introduced only within the thirteenth over, stating that the Purple Cap holder from last season must have been bowled earlier within the innings as well.
“Prasidh must have possibly bowled a minimum of one over between the sixth and tenth overs” – Anil Kumble
“It was very surprising that the Gujarat Titans brought in Prasidh Krishna, the Purple Cap holder, only within the thirteenth over. The primary one, after all, was a lucky breakthrough. Shreyas Iyer had been hit on the hand a few balls earlier, so perhaps there was a loss in concentration,” he shared.
“It was a half-volley – he wanted to choose it up and hit it straight to the fielder. Then there was a excellent ball to get Shashank Singh, that short length troubled all batters throughout the sport, and Prasidh found that very early in his spell. But he was brought in too late within the innings, since you rarely have a bowler bowl all 4 overs within the last eight overs of the innings,” he stated.
“You’ll be able to’t hold him back like that, and that’s why the last over of Prasidh Krishna went for 14 runs. For GT’s sake, Prasidh must have possibly bowled a minimum of one over between the sixth and tenth overs, because he was ideally suited to that surface,” Anil Kumble concluded.
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