Former Indian cricketers Virender Sehwag and Manoj Tiwary criticized Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Shreyas Iyer for his bowling decisions against the Gujarat Titans (GT) during the IPL 2026 season. Sehwag and Tiwary said that Shreyas misused veteran Yuzvendra Chahal while defending the target.

Gujarat Titans defeated Punjab Kings by four wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, May 3. Punjab posted a decent total of 163/9 after electing to bat first. They recovered from an early collapse that left them at 47/5. The Shubman Gill-led team chased the target of 164 runs with two balls to spare.

It was Shreyas Iyer’s decision not to bowl Yuzvendra Chahal – Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag said Shreyas Iyer miscalculated his bowling plans by delaying the introduction of Yuzvendra Chahal. He added that Iyer was forced to rely on an all-rounder for the crucial final.

“I think Shreyas Iyer’s calculations were a little off, because he had to give the last over to Stoinis. If that last over was bowled by Arshdeep Singh, Xavier Bartlett or Marco Jansen, then maybe PBKS could have won this match, because there were 11 runs to defend,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.

“It was Shreyas Iyer’s decision not to bowl Chahal and use his main players till the 19th over, and hope that they take wickets. Even Iyer must have felt that this match might not end like this till the end. Where Chahal should have bowled in the middle, he was not used. I think if he had been brought into the attack earlier, then that could have been good. He could have bowled against Buttler,” he added.

During the final chase, Iyer gave the ball to Marcus Stoinis with 11 runs to defend. He had introduced Yuzvendra Chahal in the 14th over, but the spinner bowled just one over before being removed.

It is not entirely correct to blame Shreyas Iyer – Manoj Tiwary

Manoj Tiwary agreed that Shreyas Iyer made a tactical error by using his lead wrist for just one over. While he acknowledged the risk of bowling Yuzvendra Chahal against two left-handers, he said captains should trust bowlers with wicket-taking experience.

“There has been a mistake. In my opinion, it is not entirely correct to blame Shreyas Iyer for that because when Chahal was brought in, he gave away 13 runs. But he had to take a decision to play him against two left-handers, because he could have conceded more runs or even not, he had to take that decision.”

“But I think you should always go with experienced bowlers. If he gets hit in the first over, then there is no guarantee that he will try for runs again. He could have even bowled a good ball and brought them back into the game,” Tiwary said on Cricbuzz.

Yuzvendra Chahal is on top of the list – Manoj Tiwary

Manoj Tiwary also criticized the modern trend where captains avoid using their lead spinners due to clashes. He argued that ignoring Yuzvendra Chahal’s proven ability to take wickets just because left-handers were batting reduced Shreyas Iyer’s options in the death overs.

“The idea that has crossed the captains’ minds that if there are left-handed batsmen then they should not bowl left-arm or wrist spin, is quite difficult to understand. If you see Chahal’s wicket-taking statistics, he is at the top of the list. So, that mistake, where Chahal was not bowled, left Iyer no options for the final over, where they could have defended,” he continued.

Chahal conceded 13 runs without taking a wicket in his only match against the left-handed pair of Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar. This was the fourth time in eight innings this season that he did not complete his full quota of four overs.

Also Read: Phil Salt injury update: RCB star returns home after finger injury in IPL 2026