Indian legspinner Piyush Chawla has announced his retirement from professional cricket, ending a career that lasted more than two decades. The 36-year-old played for India in three Test matches, 25 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and seven T20 Internationals. His last international game was at the 2012 T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka.
Chawla’s final domestic appearance came in the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He had hoped to play in the IPL 2025 but went unsold in the auction. During IPL 2025, he worked as a cricket expert for ESPNcricinfo.
Chawla played 192 matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL), representing four teams – Punjab Kings (PBKS), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and Mumbai Indians (MI). He took 192 wickets and was the fourth-highest wicket-taker in IPL history. One of his most memorable moments was hitting the winning runs for KKR in the 2014 IPL final
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Chawla became well-known at age 16 when he bowled out Sachin Tendulkar with a googly in the 2005 Challenger Trophy. He made his Test debut in 2006 against England and was part of India’s Under-19 team that included Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ravindra Jadeja.
Between 2007 and 2011, Chawla was part of India’s successful campaigns, including the 2007 T20 World Cup win, the 2008 ODI tri-series in Australia, and the 2011 ODI World Cup victory.
In domestic cricket, he played for Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, taking 446 wickets in 137 first-class matches.
In his farewell note, Chawla thanked his coaches KK Gautam and the late Pankaj Saraswat. “Though I step away from the crease, cricket will always live with me,” he wrote. “These memories will forever remain etched in my heart.”
