Shreyas Iyer failed to hit his first hundred in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in his opening match for Punjab Kings (PBKS) as they took on Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. Iyer previously had two 90s in the IPL and yet he asked Shashank Singh to hit boundaries in the last over. Iyer was left stranded on 97* as PBKS hit 243/5.
The Shreyas Iyer show for PBKS
PBKS spent a cool Rs 26.75 crore in the mega player auctions in November last year to make him the second most expensive player in the history of IPL auctions.
Strangely, Kolkata Knight Riders did not retain Iyer, who helped them win the IPL in 2024 after a 10-year wait for their 3rd title. Shreyas Iyer has considerable experience in the IPL as a captain. Back in 2020, he had led Delhi Capitals to the final and worked well with then coach Ricky Ponting.
Shreyas Iyer reunited with Ricky Ponting in Punjab – both joining the franchise for the first time. Ponting wants to make this team the best ever in PBKS history and Iyer responded in style to his coach’s wish.
Walking in to bat at No.3, Shreyas Iyer started well, hitting Kagiso Rabada for a four off his first ball before a magical flick for six to announce his intentions. Shreyas Iyer was unstoppable thereafter and raced away to his fifty off just 27 balls.
Sacrificial Iyer for PBKS
Iyer hit some magnificent blows en route to his century-deserving 97*. He hit the spinners quite punishingly before taking down the pacers at the death. He got hit on the ribs by Prasidh Krishna but hooked one straight to six on the very next ball. His hundred was there for the taking but Iyer put his team first. He asked Shashank, who was batting superbly, to look for boundaries in the last over rather than try for a single. Below is what Shashank said post PBKS’s innings.
“It was a good cameo. The way Shreyas was batting, looking from the dug out was superb. I went in and Shreyas told me to go for it from ball one. He (Iyer) said to go for it before the last over started. Just watching the ball and hitting it. I try to get boundaries. The backing from the team and the management is vital at the number at which I go in. I try to play my shots with freedom.”
Shashank went bonkers in the 20th over, smashing Mohammed Siraj for 23 runs to take PBKS to their highest total in IPL history while batting first.
Iyer’s previous best was 96 in 2017. He got close to a hundred again next year but managed 93 not out in a season when he scored 411 runs from 14 matches, having taken over the captaincy from Gautam Gambhir in the middle of a poor campaign for Delhi. Iyer’s best season with the bat came in 2020 when he led DC to the final of the IPL, which they lost to Mumbai Indians.
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