Former India coach Anil Kumble has praised Punjab Kings (PBKS) opener Priyansh Arya for his excellent form in IPL 2025. Kumble, a former leg-spinner, highlighted Arya’s timing but also mentioned a possible weakness in his game.
During Match 44 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 26, Arya made a significant contribution, scoring 69 runs from 35 balls, which featured eight boundaries and four sixes. His impressive knock helped Punjab Kings reach a total of 201/4 before rain brought an early end to the match.
In a video shared by ESPNCricinfo (formerly Twitter), Kumble expressed his admiration for Arya’s shot-making, mentioning that the ball seemed to effortlessly fly off his bat. He noted how the fielders could only watch as the ball sped away to the boundary.
Kumble praised Arya’s timing, saying, “His timing is exceptional. The way he hit the ball, it just pinged off the bat. It looked like he was just tapping it. The fielders were left watching in disbelief “.
Does Priyansh Arya have any weakness? #TimeOut | #KKRvPBKS pic.twitter.com/yRg3yzQ0ls
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) April 27, 2025
However, Kumble also identified a weakness in Arya’s batting, observing that many of his shots were played through the offside. He suggested that Vaibhav Arora might have made things easier for Arya in the early stages by consistently bowling outside the off stump with minimal movement.
“He could tighten his game a bit, as most of his shots were on the offside. Early on, Vaibhav Arora fed him on that line coming around the stumps,” Kumble added.
“There wasn’t much movement. So, when there’s not much movement, it’s better to bowl on middle and leg instead of outside off. That approach may have helped Arya settle into his innings.”