India spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has stopped drinking alcohol completely as he gets ready for IPL 2026 with Punjab Kings. The 35-year-old leg-spinner shared this during a relaxed podcast chat with South Africa legend AB de Villiers.
Chahal had a decent IPL 2025 season where the Punjab Kings reached the final but lost to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 6 runs. Now, his focus is on improving his fitness, boosting his confidence, and securing the trophy.
“I’ve stopped drinking alcohol, and it’s been more than six months. I am now 35, so I want to be more active and give my 150% for my team. As a senior player, I want people in the IPL to learn something from me,” Chahal told De Villiers.
Why Chahal feels Punjab Kings missed the title last year
Chahal said the team was very close, but one player’s absence hurt them badly in the final.
“In the final, we missed Marco Jansen as he was not there. If he were there, we would have definitely won the championship,” Chahal told AB de Villiers on his YouTube show.
“The way he bowled throughout the tournament was brilliant, and batting too, he was capable of hitting two to three sixes in the end. We are even more confident now because of the way he is bowling. It’s not going to be easy for the opposition openers,” he added.
Chahal disappointed with his own performance
Chahal admitted he was not at his best in the knockout games because of injuries.
“I was a bit disappointed with myself. After the KKR game, I had a rib fracture, and later, my knuckle got fractured. So in the semifinal and final, I wasn’t able to bowl my proper leg-spin. This year, I want to take care of my body first,” he said.
Punjab Kings schedule for IPL 2026
- March 31: PBKS Vs GT (PCA New Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur)
- April 3: CSK Vs PBKS (MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai)
- April 6: KKR Vs PBKS (Eden Gardens Stadium, Kolkata)
- April 11: PBKS Vs SRH (PCA New Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur)
Punjab Kings squad for IPL 2026
Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (C), Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Musheer Khan, Pyala Avinash, Harnoor Pannu, Suryansh Shedge, Mitchell Owen, Xavier Bartlett, Lockie Ferguson, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yash Thakur, Vishnu Vinod, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Vishal Nishad, Praveen Dubey.
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