Shreyas Iyer and Punjab Kings have got off to a fine start in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League. Their season kickstarted with an 11-run win against Gujarat Titans. Their most-recent triumph was against Lucknow Super Giants by a commanding eight-wicket margin.
Former English cricketer, Nick Knight, complimented the skipper's on-field demeanour and spoke highly of his mindset.
“You look at their team lineup and think they’ve won two games quite well - this one (against LSG) certainly comprehensively. Overseas players haven’t played a major part in that. So, (there are) contributions from Indian players. The captain’s like a rock. He looks so calm. He looks so authoritative. The team is playing exactly how his mentality is playing out along with the coach Ricky Ponting," stated Knight, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
If we are winning games without them, we are in a pretty good place: KnightThe cricketer-turned-commentator also shed light on the minimal contribution of the overseas players in their first couple of wins; an aspect which would draw immense confidence from, as the performances put in by their Indian contingent were good enough for victories.
“Maxwell, Stoinis, Ferguson, Omarzai, whoever it’s going to be, you know they’re going to play a major part, win a game or two and have a major contribution along the line. So, you put that in the back pocket and say, ‘Well, that’s going to happen at some point. So, if we’re winning games without them, we’re in a pretty good place’. That’s as much I see from that performance. That is a really confident start for them based on some of their major players yet to make a major contribution," added Knight.
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Interestingly, the recent wins against GT and LSG marked only the fourth time PBKS won their first couple of games in the IPL. The previous occurrences were in 2014, 2017, and 2023. Their third game in IPL 2025 is scheduled to be played against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday, April 5.