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India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has revealed that he has quit drinking alcohol as part of a renewed focus on fitness and performance ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
Speaking to AB de Villiers on the YouTube channel AB de Villiers 360, Chahal reflected on the injuries he suffered last season in the IPL. "After the KKR game, my hip got fractured, and later in the tournament, my knuckle got fractured. So in the semi-final [Qualifiers] and final, I was not able to bowl my proper leg-spin at all. But this year I wanted to 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," Chahal said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. The 35-year-old added that he aims to remain fully active and will give his best for his team, Punjab Kings (PBKS), in the IPL 2026 season. "Now, I want to be more active and give my 150% for my team. As a senior bowler and senior player, people will see me and think, 'this guy, we have to learn something from him,'" Chahal added. Chahal also praised the leadership and approachability of Ricky Ponting and Shreyas Iyer at Delhi Capitals (DC), highlighting the camaraderie and clarity in roles within the squad. "Ricky and Shreyas worked together during the IPL at Delhi Capitals (DC), so they have that bonding, and I played with him [Ponting] when I was in the Mumbai Indians. But when I met him, he was very clear about the players and the roles. That's the best thing you want as a player," Chahal said. The veteran leg-spinner added that Shreyas and Ponting are approachable and keep a friendly environment. "He is very easy to communicate with--you can go there, anytime you can message Ricky, he is always available. Same with Shreyas. You don't feel like he's your captain--he's your friend only," he added. Punjab Kings, the 2025 runners-up, will be starting off their season against the Gujarat Titans on March 31 at New Chandigarh. Punjab Kings squad for IPL 2026: Arshdeep Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harnoor Pannu, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Marco Jansen, Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Owen, Musheer Khan, Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Shashank Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Suryansh Shedge, Vishnu Vinod, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Cooper Connolly, Pravin Dubey, Vishal Nishad, Ben Dwarshuis. (ANI)
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