Kolkata: Experienced Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) spinner Piyush Chawla on Friday praised Mumbai Indians’ leg-spinner Mayank Markande who has taken the Indian Premier League (IPL) by storm in the first few matches.

Markande, picked out as Mumbai’s surprise package, has taken as many as seven wickets in two matches.

“I have seen him for the first time. I think he is doing very well and I wish him luck,” Chawla told reporters on the sidelines of a promotional event.

Markande, who has got an excellent wrong ‘un, is the purple cap holder — given to the bowler with most number of wickets — now and almost bowled Mumbai to victory in the opening two matches against Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively.

While the Punjab tweaker, 20, returned figures of 3/23 against CSK, he was superb against Sunrisers on Thursday with taking four wickets and leaking just 23 runs.

After posting 147, Mumbai bowlers did a fantastic job throughout the match but at the end, pacer Ben Cutting failed to hold his nerves and thus lost the issue on the last ball of the innings.

The real action unfolded in the last over. With 11 needed in the 20th over, Deepak Hooda (32 not out), who set the platform at the end, slammed a huge six off Cutting and then the bowlers delivered the wide.

Now, with four needed in five balls, last pair of Hooda and Billy Stanlake (2) some how managed to make it one ball-one run affair and finally, the latter slammed it over the mid-wicket to seal the issue.

Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav, who was also present, opined that spinners with variation are quite a handful in the shortest version of the game and are more successful.

“As an off-spinner, if you’re getting turn and you have quite a good variation that really makes a difference in T20 format. That’s why the spinners are very successful in this format,” said Yadav who is now a regular in the Indian team setup.

Brief scores

Sunrisers Hyderabad — 148/9 (Shikhar Dhawan 45; Mayank Markande 4/23)

Mumbai Indians — 147/8 (Evin Lewis 29, Kieron Pollard 28, Sandeep Sharma 2/25)