Punjab Kings began their campaign in the IPL 2025 season with a solid 11-run win over Gujarat Titans at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. After being asked to bat first, skipper Shreyas Iyer led from the front, scoring an unbeaten 97 in 42 balls at a strike rate of 230.95, to help his side to a mammoth total of 243/5 in 20 overs.
Iyer’s innings saw 9 sixes and 5 fours, featuring some delectable shots that left the fans enthralled. Adding to the chorus of boundaries was Shashank Singh, who came to bat late but added 44 not out off 16 balls, much to the crowd’s amazement.
Speaking of the team’s batting performance, Shashank said at the post match press conference: “When skipper Iyer told me to start hitting the balls for boundaries, it gave me the confidence to play my game. He asked me to be calm and execute my cricketing shots which helped me.”
Shashank also praised debutant Priyansh Arya who scored 47 runs in 23 balls to gave his side a good start. “Arya really impressed the team in the training sessions. He is extremely fearless. It is not easy for any debutant. but the way he batted, he showed his talent to the world,” Shashank said.
Shashank further praised skipper’s Iyer selflessness and revealed that Iyer himself told him to not worry about his century in the final over. “I did not see the scoreboard. Shreyas told me to not focus on his 100 and it took a big heart for him to say that. It’s a team game at the end of the day,” Shashank further added.
On the bowling front, Arshdeep Singh performed well, getting two wickets in his four overs. But the game changing moment turned out to be when Iyer gave the ball to impact player Vijaykumar Vyshak, who gave just 10 runs in his first two overs to swing the momentum towards Kings’ favour.
“Shreyas is a captain who works on instincts and that is why he is one of the best captains. We were getting hit for runs so even I felt it was the correct plan to give the ball to Vyshak. But planning is one thing. The way he executed planned was commendable. There was dew on the surface and it was hard to bowl those yorkers. These were hard overs. He bowled really well. It was tremendous. In IPL, it is all about winning small moments that can turn the gane. Vyshak did his job to perfection,” he said.
Talking about the decision to bring on Vyshak as an impact player, head coach Ricky Ponting said, “While sitting in the dugout, I was like they need 13 or 14 runs an over and I sent the message to Shreyas and asked what do you want to do and he straight away said, just get Vyshak out here. He will nail a couple of overs at yorkers and we will close the game and Vyshak was the one who changed the game.”
Vyshak, who changed the game with his exceptional bowling at the end reflected on his performance and stated, “It’s a surreal feeling when you win the game, especially when you do it for the team in that situation, it really feels good and you can go to bed with a lot of happiness. I have learnt a lot today as well and it’s a great lesson for me. Though, I was running around, I didn’t know until we started bowling that I might be an impact player. I am really glad I got this opportunity and won it for the team.”
Punjab Kings will next face off against Lucknow Super Giants at Ekana Cricket Stadium on April 1.
