Former India cricketer Piyush Chawla spoke about the diminishing effectiveness of ace Punjab Kings (PBKS) pacer Arshdeep Singh, stating that his bowling form is a matter of concern for his team in IPL 2026.

At PCA New International Stadium on Tuesday, India's top wicket-taker in T20Is, Arshdeep, appeared out of touch and conceded 68 runs as the Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings team lost their first IPL 2026 match by 6 wickets after failing to defend a massive total of 222 runs against Rajasthan Royals (RR).

For the Punjab Kings, who are vying for their first title, Piyush Chawla believes that Arshdeep's subpar performance this season—he has only taken eight wickets in eight games—is a serious issue.

"A game or two games here and there, you can expect [him to do badly], but it's happening most of the time. Then it is a matter of concern, because if you look at the bigger picture—when you're going into the playoffs—then you have to think about it. What if something like this happened in a playoff game? Then you're playing a catch-up game. It's not that you're sitting comfortably," he told ESPNCricinfo.

Arshdeep is renowned for taking wickets during the power play, and if he doesn't, the left-arm pacer gives up a lot of runs, according to Chawla.

"He's somebody who's known to pick up wickets with the new ball, and that's not been happening. The game (where) he picks up wickets with the new ball, he ends up bowling a wonderful spell. That's what happened against MI (3 for 22). But this season, he's going at almost 11 runs per over. And I understand that he bowls those difficult overs in the powerplay and then at the death, but still he's your still premium bowler," he added.

Despite the defeat, PBKS remains at the top of the points table with 13 points in 8 matches. They will next face the Gujarat Titans (GT) on May 3.