Shreyas Iyer termed his unbeaten 97 in PBKS’ season opener against GT as the ‘icing on the cake’ after securing an 11-run win.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shreyas Iyer described his unbeaten 97 as the “icing on the cake” after leading his team to an 11-run win over Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad during their IPL 2025 opener on Tuesday.
Priyansh Arya, making his debut for PBKS, gave the team a flying start by smashing 47 off just 23 balls. His aggressive knock was brought to an end by Rashid Khan immediately after the powerplay, but by then, Iyer had taken charge. Iyer anchored the innings, reaching his half-century in just 27 balls. By the 17th over, he had crossed 90, but Shashank Singh took over the strike towards the end, scoring a blistering 44 off just 16 balls. As a result, Iyer remained stranded on 97* off 42 balls.
Shashank later revealed that Iyer had encouraged him to focus on scoring boundaries rather than worrying about milestones. “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,” Iyer said after the match, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
In the second innings, GT looked in control of the chase, reaching 169/2 by the 14th over. However, PBKS introduced impact player Vyshak Vijaykumar into the attack, who applied the brakes on GT’s momentum. Bowling a tight spell of wide yorkers, Vyshak conceded just 28 runs in his three overs and triggered a collapse.
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“He is a funny character,” Iyer 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,” Shreyas Iyer added.
“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 concluded.
With Arshdeep Singh keeping his cool in the death overs and executing the wide yorker plan effectively, PBKS managed to restrict GT and secure a hard-fought victory.
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