Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen showered praise on Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer after the Mohali-based franchise registered a six-wicket win against Sunrisers Hyderabad at New Chandigarh on Saturday.
Iyer scored a match-winning knock of 69 runs off just 33 balls with the help of five fours and as many sixes in the run-chase of 220. The PBKS skipper added 69 runs off 35 balls with Nehal Wadhera, with the former doing the lion share of the scoring.
Iyer had scored 604 runs in 17 matches of IPL 2025 and played a key role in taking PBKS to the final of the previous season. However, Iyer is a regular in India’s ODI team but doesn’t get his chances in Test and T20Is.
“Shreyas is a freak show and should be in every Indian Cricket team as almost a first pick. Tremendous cricket brain too!” Kevin Pietersen posted on X.
Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin also praised Shreyas Iyer for his superb knock against the Orange Army. Ashwin said Iyer stayed unperturbed under pressure and his shot-selection was top class.
“At the moment Shreyas Iyer looks unflappable. His ability to forecast a chase, guide his partner, staying unruffled amidst pressure and shot selection against a bowler he fancies at the right moment are attributes that not many cricketers can boast of at this point of time. We have a plethora of batters who can excite with their shot making ability but not many like Shreyas. Top Class,” Ashwin posted on X.
On the other hand, Iyer admitted it was all about assessing the conditions and playing accordingly after Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh gave a flying start to the team.
“We got a phenomenal start. When you’re chasing 220, you need a start like that. That was exceptional. For me, it was about assessing things and reading the play. My job just got simpler,” Shreyas Iyer said during the post-match presentation.
“I am excited with this beginning to the tournament. We got a couple of days off, and we trained properly. If we want to lift the trophy though, we have to keep working hard. Ricky helps us in that regard a lot, but, we’ve got to keep this going,” he added.
Punjab Kings will next take on the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Thursday.
