Piyush Chawla

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Chawla spent his childhood in Moradabad and learnt early essentials of cricket at Sonakpur Stadium under the guidance of his first coach Mr KK Gautam. He completed his schooling from Wilsonia College, Moradabad. He first played for India U-19 against the England U-19 team in 2004–05, claiming 13 wickets from two Under-19 Tests. He also played in the 2005–06 home series against Australia U-19, taking eight wickets. In the 2005–06 Challenger Trophy, he played for India B and took the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He made his first class debut for Central Zone against South Zone in the Duleep Trophy. He proved himself again when he took 4 wickets in 8 overs conceding only 8 runs in the U-19 World Cup final of 2006. He also made 25 not out runs. This resulted in his selection in the Indian Test squad for the first Test against England in Nagpur, in March 2006, and was selected for his debut in the second Test against England in Mohali. He played his first ODI on 12 May 2007, against Bangladesh, taking 3 wickets. In the second ODI with Ireland, he was equally impressive with three wickets. He returned to Test after two years in April 2008 against South Africa, where he took 2/66. In 2009, Chawla signed for Sussex County Cricket Club for a month. In his first County Championship match against Worcestershire, he took a total of 8 wickets and scored 102* from only 86 balls. He was selected for 2010 ICC World Twenty20 and was a member of the 2011 World Cup-winning squad. He returned to play his third Test, after 4 years, against England at Nagpur in December 2012, taking 4/69 in the 1st innings. He returned to English county cricket in August 2013 when he joined Somerset. He was the leading wicket-taker for Gujarat in the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy, with 32 dismissals in six matches. He was also the leading wicket-taker for Gujarat in the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy, with sixteen dismissals in eight matches. On 6 June 2025, Chawla announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.

In Their Own Story

In the 2005–06 Challenger Trophy, Chawla played for India B and reached the final against the Seniors. In a match described by Cricinfo as impressive, he bowled Sachin Tendulkar with a googly, dismissing him alongside Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni to finish with figures of three for 49. His domestic dominance continued into later years; in the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy, he was Gujarat's leading wicket-taker with 32 dismissals in six matches. He repeated this feat in the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy, taking sixteen dismissals in eight matches. His IPL journey saw him bought by Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2021 season and again for a base price of ₹50 lakh before the 2023 Indian Premier League, after remaining unsold during the 2022 auction.

Reader's Guide

Chawla played in the IPL for the Kings XI Punjab team from 2008 to 2013. He was sold for US$900,000 to KXIP in 4th Edition of IPL. On 12 February 2014, Chawla was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for ₹4.25 lakh in IPL 7 auction. In January 2018, he was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2018 IPL auction. In the 2020 IPL auction, he was bought by the Chennai Super Kings ahead of the 2020 Indian Premier League. In February 2021, Chawla was bought by the Mumbai Indians in the IPL auction ahead of the 2021 Indian Premier League. During the 2022 Indian Premier League, Chawla remained unsold. However, he was again bought by Mumbai Indians in the IPL auction ahead of the 2023 Indian Premier League for the base price of ₹50 lakh.

Did You Know?

• Chawla took 4 wickets in 8 overs conceding only 8 runs in the U-19 World Cup final of 2006.
• He scored 102* from only 86 balls for Sussex against Worcestershire in 2009.
• Chawla was the leading wicket-taker for Gujarat in the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy with 32 dismissals.
• He was bought by Mumbai Indians in the 2021 IPL auction and again in the 2023 IPL auction.