Paltan, brace yourselves as it is time for another blockbuster clash between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians in Raipur on 10^th May 2026. As we have moved to the business end of the IPL, the race is heating up and every win for us will be like gold dust. The stakes are high, the intensity is real, as this is the game where fans watch their heroes breathing fire into oppositions. As the Men in Blue and Gold prepare for the high voltage clash, Paltan will be rallying beside them at every moment. Ahead of the showdown, MI’s star pacer Deepak Chahar graced MI Charcha where he opened up about rhythm, swing and the art of striking early during a T20 contest. There was clarity in his thought process as he spoke with his trademark smile. 💙

It has been 16 years since Deepak’s first-class debut, speaking about the game evolving over the years and change in training methods, he said, “When I started off, T20 was not such a big thing. Back then, it was all about Ranji Trophy and further representing India. Now, things have changed and the boys start training for the T20 format since the beginning of the year itself. Cricketers are practicing to smash big shots on good length balls. Sidearm specialists and bowling machines have come into play, so there is no problem in generating pace. Now everyone’s methods have changed. We bowl back of length deliveries; swing is less due to flat pitches…so we do try different variations. It all goes down to control and skill.”

Walking down memory lane, in 2019, Chahar grabbed 6/7 in his spell versus Bangladesh, who were cruising to a win and then our very own DC picked up wickets of the tailenders and snapped up a hat-trick in the process 🔥. He shared, “This record’s credit goes to Rohit Sharma who was the captain. He said he would use me like (Jasprit) Bumrah that day. Later, he gave me the 11^th over, when a partnership was already set. I managed to pick a wicket there too. Bowling two overs in the end helped get me a hat-trick. So, all thanks to Rohit’s planning, I could achieve that great feat.”

Further, on a lighter note, Deepak revealed what skills and deliveries he would like to teach the following MI bowlers. “Jasprit Bumrah- knuckle bouncer and leg cutter. Trent Boult- inswing. Hardik Pandya- yorker. Shardul Thakur- inswing. Lasith Malinga-inswing, leg cutter and knuckle ball.” 😆

He also reflected on him smiling with positivity and handling things with grace, no matter what the situation is on field. He pointed out, “It all depends on one’s upbringing. One cannot have a short temper on field. If the match did not go your way, you have to sit back and reflect on why things went wrong. If a particular over went for runs, I then have to think what did not go according to my plan. As a bowler, some days are good and some are bad. On some occasions, bad deliveries fetch wickets while on other occasions good deliveries might go for runs. Every player needs to know how to handle such kind of pressure situations which is there when you are playing cricket at every level.”

Finally, Deepak expressed his desire to win all four remaining matches for Mumbai Indians during the league stage. He said, “I am looking forward to the next four games. Yes, we made mistakes earlier, but we are a team that can bounce back and win consecutive matches. Last year as well, we won six on the trot. We now have to give our hundred and ten percent effort on field and try winning the next four games. Everyone knows we are a dangerous side with plenty of match winners.” 💪