Piyush Chawla announces retirement from all forms of cricket

Piyush Chawla, the former India legspinner, has called time on a professional career that spanned over two decades. Chawla, 36, made his last appearance for India at the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2012, after playing in three Tests, 25 ODIs, and seven T20Is. Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2024-25 was Chawla's final appearance in domestic cricket, a tournament he had committed to play in the hope of featuring in IPL 2025. Chawla featured in 192 IPL matches, and had stints with four franchises - Punjab Kings (PBKS), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI). He picked up 192 wickets, with the highlight being the 2014 season, where he famously hit the winning runs to bring KKR their second IPL title in three seasons. Chawla's last IPL appearance came in 2024, when he was part of MI. He finishes as the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the IPL. Chawla came into the limelight as a 16-year-old when he bowled Sachin Tendulkar with a googly in the 2005 Challenger Trophy. Soon after being selected for India's Under-19 World Cup squad, which also included Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ravindra Jadeja, he made his Test debut against England in Mohali in 2006. His career hit the high notes between 2007 and 2011, when he was part of India's T20 World Cup winning squad, the ODI squad that recorded a tri-series win in Australia in 2008, as well as India's ODI World Cup winning squad in 2011. "From representing India at the highest level to being part of the victorious 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup squads, every moment in this incredible journey has been nothing short of a blessing. These memories will forever remain etched in my heart," Chawla wrote. "I now look forward to embarking on a new journey, carrying the lessons and spirit of this beautiful game," the cricketer said. "Though I step away from the crease, cricket will always live with me."