Shreyas Iyer starred with the bat in Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) five-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) in a high-scoring IPL 2025 Qualifier 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday (June 1).
Chasing 204 in a knockout fixture, PBKS needed someone to bat with control and authority. Iyer stepped up and delivered a knock that combined calculated aggression with clarity under pressure.
The PBKS captain slammed 87 not out off 41 balls (5 fours and 8 sixes) to take his team over the finishing line with an over to spare. He was ably supported by Nehal Wadhera (48 off 29) and Josh Inglis (38 off 21).
After the game, PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting claimed that Shreyas Iyer’s performance surge in the ongoing IPL is fueled by his Test squad snub for the England tour.
"I actually was gutted...but he's accepted that really well and he's moved on. He's just got that real hunger in his eyes to do well every time that he plays for us here and wants to win games of cricket and wants to evolve and develop into the best leader and captain that he can be," Ponting said while speaking on ICC Review.
Ponting believes Shreyas did nothing wrong to not get selected for the England, noting that other selected players made the cut based on similar credentials.
"Certain other players that have been picked in that (Test) squad have done it on the back of good first-class cricket and good IPL seasons leading up to that selection and Shreyas has done absolutely everything the same as some of those other players. So I was disappointed that he didn't get picked as I actually felt that he would get picked. But he didn't. And I think that probably makes him a little bit hungrier for us when these playoff games come around."
Ponting and Iyer share a strong bond from their time at Delhi Capitals, where they reached the playoffs consistently from 2019 to 2021, including an appearance in the final in 2020.
"We talk a lot together about the game and tactics, and, I think he said last night that he said 'that I leave it to Ricky to look after the tactical stuff and pick the players, and then he hands it over to me and I go and execute it out on the field'. And that's the way we've worked, this year and it's been nice to get that sort of working relationship back together again," Ponting remarked.
Punjab Kings will now face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2025 final on June 3 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
