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After guiding Punjab Kings (PBKS) to a seven wicket win against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Thursday, April 16 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, skipper Shreyas Iyer received praise from Sachin Tendulkar for his spectacular catch to remove Hardik Pandya from the crease.
Shreyas Iyer's marvelous catch to remove Hardik Pandya
At the third ball of the 18th over, after Hardik Pandya smashed a six off the previous delivery from Marco Jansen, the MI captain went for another biggie but failed to time it well. Stationed in the deep, Shreyas Iyer sprinted swiftly to his left, grabbed the ball near the boundary rope while off balance, and flicked it back in the play before crossing the rope. Xavier Bartlett, positioned at long-off, completed the catch.
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Pandya was dismissed after scoring only 14 runs off 12 deliveries, which restricted Mumbai Indians to reach only 195/6 at the end of the first innings.
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Sachin Tendulkar appreciates Shreyas Iyer's catch
Reacting to the catch, India's batting legend Sachin Tendulkar shared a Tweet, where he appreciated Iyer's athleticism and awareness of his surroundings to make the catch possible.
"What made Shreyas Iyer’s catch so special was not just the athleticism, but the awareness behind it" wrote Sachin.
"He had to judge the speed of the ball, the height, where the boundary rope was, how close he was to stepping on it, and get his jump absolutely perfect," added Sachin.
Sachin further explained how difficult it was for Iyer to execute the catch while being well aware about his surroundings on the field.
"Then, while still in the air, he caught the ball and released it to a teammate before landing, all the while knowing exactly where that fielder was positioned,"
"To process all of that in a split second takes unbelievable awareness, timing, fitness, and composure," concluded Sachin.
Punjab Kings' red-hot form in IPL 2026
After playing five games in the tournament, Shreyas Iyer's side stays unbeaten with nine points in hand at a net run rate of +1.067. Their game against Kolkata Knight Riders was abandoned because of rain and one point was shared between the two teams.
PBKS will face Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their upcoming fixture on Sunday, April 19 at the PCA New Cricket Stadium, Tira.
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