Home
Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shreyas Iyer spoke after smashing his maiden IPL century to keep his team’s playoff hopes alive in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
After winning the toss, Iyer opted to bowl first against the already-eliminated Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), who managed to put up 196 runs on the board. However, Punjab Kings chased down the target comfortably in just 18 overs to stay alive in the playoff race.
Also Read: Shreyas Iyer's century keeps PBKS' playoff hopes alive as LSG 7-wicket drubbing eliminates DC
Shreyas Iyer reveals ritual PBKS abandoned before crucial clash
Speaking after the game, Iyer admitted he was extremely emotional after finally scoring his first IPL hundred and revealed that the team intentionally avoided holding meetings before the match.
"I'm ecstatic to be honest. It's my first hundred and came at the right time when the team needed it. We won eventually after six consecutive losses."
The PBKS skipper praised his bowlers for bringing the game back after an aggressive start from LSG batters.
"Elated by their performance (the bowlers). Even though we went 16 off the first over. Just to get the game back towards us - Azmat bowled brilliant."
He also lauded Yuzvendra Chahal for bouncing back strongly after a poor previous outing.
"Kudos to him, he leaked a lot of runs in the last game but he showed his character."
Shreyas Iyer then opened up on the unusual approach the team followed before the high-pressure fixture.
"We didn't say anything (message to the team), just kept it simple. Rather than having meetings, putting more pressure on the boys."
"Today I literally told Ricky that let's not do any team meetings. Let's just head to the ground and do our rituals which we've been doing consistently and we could see the result."
The PBKS captain also praised opener Prabhsimran Singh for his fearless knock and highlighted how their partnership shifted the momentum completely in Punjab’s favour.
With his unbeaten century, Iyer also became only the third PBKS captain to score an IPL hundred after KL Rahul and Adam Gilchrist.
He was later named Player of the Match for his sensational innings.
PBKS outclass LSG to stay alive in playoff race
Batting first, Lucknow Super Giants posted 196 runs in their 20 overs thanks to crucial knocks from:
Josh Inglis — 72 off 44
Ayush Badoni — 43 off 18
Abdul Samad — 37 off 20
For PBKS,:
Marco Jansen — 2 wickets
Yuzvendra Chahal — 2 wickets
Azmatullah Omarzai — 1 wicket
Shashank Singh — 1 wicket
Punjab’s chase got off to a shaky start after Mohammed Shami removed Priyansh Arya on the very first ball of the innings and later dismissed Cooper Connolly as well.
However, Prabhsimran Singh’s explosive 69 off 39 deliveries and Shreyas Iyer’s unbeaten 101 off just 51 balls completely turned the game around.
The duo stitched together a match-winning 140-run partnership before Prabhsimran departed in the 15th over.
For LSG, only three wickets fell:
Mohammed Shami — 2 wickets
Arjun Tendulkar — 1 wicket
The emphatic win keeps Punjab Kings mathematically alive in the race for the final playoff spot in IPL 2026.
ADVERTISEMENT
