'Icing On The Cake': Shreyas Iyer Reacts After Scoring 97* On IPL Debut As PBKS Captain
Shreyas Iyer's unbeaten 97 in his debut as Punjab Kings' captain led to an 11-run win over Gujarat Titans. Debutant Priyansh Arya scored 47 off 23. Shashank Singh hit 44 off 16.
Shreyas Iyer said that scoring an unbeaten 97 in his first match as Punjab Kings (PBKS)‘ captain was the ‘icing on the cake’ after the 11-run win over Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025 in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Debutant Priyansh Arya gave the Kings the perfect start with his 47 off 23. Rashid Khan got rid of the opener immediately after the powerplay but Shreyas had already taken over. He hogged up one end and reached his half-century off just 27 balls. By the 17th over, he had crossed his 90 but Shashank Singh retained most of the strike for his 44 (16) thereafter and Shreyas remained stranded three short of his century 97 (42).
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Later, Shashank revealed that Shreyas had encouraged him to not think about his milestones and try and get boundaries as usual.
“Getting 97 not out in the opening game of the season for us is the icing on the cake. I got a four on the first ball I faced and it got me going. That flick six off [Kagiso] Rabada as well. 44 runs he (Shashank) scored off 16-17 balls was pretty crucial for the team. We set a benchmark that we had to go for it. With the dew coming things could change and thankfully he performed," Shreyas said after the match, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
In the second innings, the Titans were ahead in the chase by the 14th over with the score at 169/2 when PBKS introduced impact player Vijaykumar Vyshak into the attack. In three overs, the pacer conceded just 28 runs with his array of wide yorkers to shut down all the momentum, which led to a fatal collapse.
“He is a funny character," Shreyas said of Vyshak. “He has got traits in him where he comes in with the right attitude. He bowled the yorkers straightaway. Kept his calm and composure. Arshdeep played an important role in that (the wide yorker plan). He came in and said the ball is actually reversing a bit so the saliva on the ball is helping the bowlers a bit I guess. He got Sai and that changed the momentum for us and then he came in and said let’s start the wide yorkers earlier than trying it too late. Before the season started we left no stone unturned. In our meetings, everyone chipped in with what we can execute on the field and it wasn’t just me talking. We look to carry forward the momentum into the other games as well," Iyer added.
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