Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shreyas Iyer revealed that he was struck on the right index finger while practicing on Saturday (May 17). As a result, his batting position was affected and he was forced to be substituted out after the first innings in the clash against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Jaipur on Sunday (May 18).

However, Shreyas also added that he didn’t know ‘what has happened’ and will undergo checks after the match.

Shreyas had the finger heavily strapped when the cameras first panned on him during the first innings, with PBKS batting. He walked out to bat at No. 5 and scored a scratchy 25-ball 30.

PBKS subbed him out in the second innings by introducing spinner Harpreet Brar. The visitors racked up 219/5 on the board and defended it with a margin of 10 runs to get inch closer to the playoffs.

“The reason is the finger over here (pointing at his right index finger). I don’t know what has happened. Yesterday, while practising, I got hit. I will have to go and check what the issue is here," Shreyas said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Shreyas was never out of the game, constantly sharing inputs with stand-in skipper Shashank Singh from the sidelines.

“I was just passing on the message to all the players to keep a positive body language, you tend to drop and feel the game has gone away from you, but I am proud of every player out there to show that sort of great and bold approach," he stated.

His replacement Brar played an instrumental role in Punjab’s victory, dismissing the dynamic duo of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

“He has been consistent in the nets. He wants to do the best for himself, he was hungry for this opportunity and today I feel he stepped in and delivered at his best. Congratulations to him and his mindset has been tremendous throughout," Shreyas said.

“Absolutely brilliant approach and attitude coming in after the break, the boys were in high spirits, and we also needed a rest," he added about the overall team performance.

“Going forward in the tournament, it was the right time we came in together and showed the kind of mindset to win irrespective of the situation. Going forward, we saw that the spinners were difficult to charge over, we hardly got runs off their spinners, and that’s one learning. Apart from that, we can change the game from any situation."