Kamal Ghorui
Yuzvendra Chahal is heading into IPL 2026 with a renewed mindset and a strong focus on fitness, hoping to turn a difficult phase in his career into a fresh start with Punjab Kings. The 35-year-old leg-spinner, who has not featured for India since 2023, revealed a major personal change that he believes will help him extend his career and perform at a higher level.Speaking to AB de Villiers on his YouTube show, Chahal shared that he has completely given up alcohol. “This year, my mind has said that I will take care of my body first. And I have some good news for you: I stopped drinking alcohol.“It’s been more than six months. I am 35 now. I want to be more active, and I want to give 150 per cent for my team. As a senior bowler, if I go to the IPL, I want people to see me and think ‘we have to learn something from him’,” said Chahal.The decision comes after a challenging couple of years, both professionally and personally. Once on the verge of becoming India’s first bowler to reach 100 T20I wickets, Chahal remains stuck on 96, with Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya having since crossed the milestone.Off the field too, Chahal endured a tough period, including a high-profile divorce from Dhanashree Verma last year after months of public attention.Despite those setbacks, he played a key role in Punjab Kings’ strong IPL 2025 campaign. Featuring in 14 matches, he picked up 16 wickets at an economy rate of 9.56 and became the league’s all-time leading wicket-taker during the season. Punjab, led by Shreyas Iyer, reached the final but fell short against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.Chahal admitted the defeat still lingers, pointing to the absence of all-rounder Marco Jansen as a crucial factor. “In the final, we missed Jansen as he was not there. If he were there, we would have definitely won the championship,” Chahal said.The leg-spinner also revealed he was not fully fit during the business end of the tournament. “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.With 221 wickets in 174 matches, Chahal remains the IPL’s highest wicket-taker and will once again be central to Punjab’s title ambitions. As the franchise prepares to begin its IPL 2026 campaign on March 31 against Gujarat Titans, Chahal’s renewed discipline and focus could prove decisive in their pursuit of a maiden title.
