Credit: BCCI/IPL
Skipper Shreyas Iyer turned out to a star with his unbeaten 87*(41) runs as Punjab Kings (PBKS) reached the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after 11 long years. Chasing a target of 204 runs against five-time champions Mumbai Indians, Iyer led from the front and ended up finishing the game for his team and confirmed their fixture against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Ahmedabad on June 3.
As everyone has been heaping praise on Shreyas Iyer for his iconic knock, hardly anyone noticed that he was playing with a broken bat against MI last night. Notably, while hitting a shot during his innings, Iyer was seen checking the bottom edge of his bat. However, while Iyer was hitting a winning six against MI, it can be seen that a small part was missing from the bottom edge of his bat. This means that despite his bat being broken, Iyer continued to play against MI and finished the game for PBKS.
I love such big occasions: Shreyas Iyer on winning player of the match for his match-winning knock against MI
With this win, Shreyas Iyer became the first-ever captain in history to take three teams to the IPL final. He first reached the final with Delhi Capitals in 2020, won the title with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024 and now led PBKS to the final in the ongoing season. After the game, Iyer also received player of the match award for his 87-run knock. After receiving the award, Iyer mentioned how he loves to play and keep calm on big occasions.
“I don't know to be honest, I love such big occasions. I always say to myself and also to my colleagues in the team that the bigger the occasion, the calmer you are, you get the big results. Today was a right example where I was focusing more on my breathing rather than sweating out loud over there. (On chasing a 200+ target) As I mentioned right before the game that all players need to be assertive and show that intent from ball one,” Iyer said at the post-match presentation.
