Punjab Kings will play in Qualifier 1 at home in New Chandigarh stadium on Thursday.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) co-owner Preity Zinta lavished rich praise on captain Shreyas Iyer after the team cemented a top 2 spot with a 7-wicket win against Mumbai Indians (MI) on May 26 in Jaipur. Punjab Kings have qualified for the IPL playoffs for the first time in eleven years.
The bowling of PBKS was excellent, despite the good performances of MI's top three, Rohit Sharma (24), Ryan Rickelton (27), and Suryakumar Yadav (57). Despite Hardik Pandya's 26 and Naman Dhir's 20, MI was able to score 184/7 in 20 overs anyway. Vijaykumar Vyshak, Marco Jansen, and Arshdeep Singh each took two wickets for PBKS.
After losing Prabhsimran Singh for 13 runs, PBKS took the lead thanks to 109 runs in 59 balls from Josh Inglis and Priyansh Arya for the second wicket. Inglish was dismissed for 73 with nine fours and three sixes, while Arya scored 62 with nine fours and two sixes.
As PBKS won by seven wickets, Shreyas Iyer ended the game with 26*, one four, and two sixes.
Preity Zinta had a chat with the official broadcasters and praised Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer.
"We are lucky that we have Shreyas Iyer. He has been a fantastic captain and is a great leader. And Ricky Ponting as a coach, their combination has done wonders for us,” Zinta stated.
Punjab Kings will play their first qualifier at the New PCA Stadium in Mullanpur, and a win will cement their place in the final.
"Super excited to play in Mullanpur. Things changed, but I am not complaining. Ifs and buts we can forget. I am just excited and taking each day as it comes. We want to win for our fans. Our fanbase has always supported us. They have supported us for so many years; it will be for all the Punjab Kings fans. Our team slogan is 'bas jeetna hai' (We just want to win)," she said.
When coaxed about the things that didn't go in Punjab Kings' favor, Preity said: "The only thing I can say is we have no control over what happens on the ground. We can only choose the right team. You can always have good players and a good team. The captain who is leading the team is setting an example. There is a synergy between the captain and the coach. That's really what changes the dynamic of the team."
Here is the video: