Chahal is the leading wicket-taker against KKR in the IPL. His match-up against skipper Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Rinku Singh who have struggled against him, could prove decisive.
“Yuzvendra Chahal is a very dangerous name in Indian cricket. And overseas, he is even more dangerous,” Gonsalves said on the eve of their IPL match against KKR.
“What I have seen in the last couple of years is that he is so serious, both on and off the field. He just wants to get going and win games for the side.”
The leg-spinner has already shown his guile this season, picking up key wickets including Shubman Gill with flight and variation, while also accounting for Jos Buttler in a tidy spell of 2/28 in their opening match against Gujarat Titans.
He followed it up with another controlled effort against Chennai Super Kings, returning 1/21 in three overs, including the wicket of skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad.
For KKR, Rahane has managed just 46 runs in 10 IPL innings against him at a strike rate of 102, falling four times.
Rinku has scored only 15 runs in three innings while being dismissed twice, while young Raghuvanshi too has been removed twice in three outings.
Gonsalves pointed out Chahal’s work ethic as his biggest strength.
“He has been at every practice session, every single camp. He is the front-runner in all those camps and the most involved guy in this set-up,” he said.
“It’s always like he just wants to perform, he wants to be the top guy for the side. That’s the kind of commitment he brings.”
Having led KKR to their third title in 2024, Shreyas Iyer was released by the franchise before taking over as Punjab Kings skipper, guiding them to the final last season.
The Shreyas-Ricky Ponting combination has since transformed the side, with Gonsalves reserving special praise for the captain-coach duo.
On Shreyas he said: “He has a very good mindset. The main thing I see is his team management. Whether things are going good or bad, I’ve always seen Shreyas backing his players,” he said.
“He is calm, he listens to everyone at length, and that’s his biggest plus point.”
“They (Shreyas and Ponting) both talk on the same lines. They both back each other. I haven’t seen a single rift or a difference in opinion between the captain and the coach.”
Having finished runners-up, PBKS have retained the bulk of their core (21 players), a move Gonsalves said was driven by stability under head coach Ponting.
“Our coach Ricky Ponting is always against chopping and changing. We played the final last year, so there was no reason to break that core,” he said.
“It’s almost the same group, they gel well and understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”
