MI are holding the third spot in the 10-team standings with 14 points from 12 games.
Chawla’s comments came on the eve of MI’s match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow.
The five-time champions are currently occupying the third spot in the 10-team standings, with 14 points from 12 games. They need to win their remaining two matches to secure a spot in the playoffs.
“Things are in our control. If we win our remaining two matches, we can finish 1st or 2nd. We just want to play good cricket. The team picked up momentum at the right time. The confidence is very good but there is a very thin line between confidence and overconfidence and we don’t want to cross that line,” Chawla said in a media statement.
After failing to find a bid in the mega auction last year, Piyush Chawla took to commentary in IPL 2022. However, the 34-year-old put in the hard yards with Gujarat in domestic cricket where he claimed 16 wickets across Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
As a result, Chawla bagged an IPL contract with Mumbai Indians in the mini-auction last December. He is fourth on the list of highest wicket-taker with 19 scalps from 12 matches this season.
“When I wasn’t picked last year and doing commentary, a lot of things were going on in my mind. I wasn’t able to decide whether I should come back or explore other things. My son is growing up and he was watching a lot of IPL and was very excited about it. So my family told me to push myself and just play for him. So I am playing for him and putting in that extra effort,” Chawla stated.
Piyush Chawla has been around for close to two decades, and he is not in the mood to stop anytime soon despite being close to the wrong side of 30s.
“If it’s up to me, I’d like to play for 10 more years. As long as I’m contributing to the team and putting my body on the line, I’ll continue to play.”
After a tough start to their campaign, Mumbai Indians peaked at the right time to be in contention for a spot in the playoffs. Chawla attributed the team’s success to them backing each other and enjoying their time out in the middle.
“We were just backing each other and enjoying our cricket. The best thing about cricket is that it is a team game but it’s also an individual sport because only if the individuals perform can the team do well. People say that Mumbai conceded 200 runs but we chased it down as well, so you can imagine the kind of pitches we are playing on. The way we have finished games is lovely to watch from the dressing room.”
(With TOI Inputs)